Mewtwo's Pokémon Master Journey
by Troll-Theorist
Summary: Created by humans and abandoned after a ditto attack on the laboratory on Cinnabar Island, a young and inexperienced Mewtwo searches for a purpose for his existence. His search leads him on the road to becoming a pokémon master. In a world where all trainers are human, will he succeed? *Pokémon and its characters belong to Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures.*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Life Goals**

Everything was dark. Why was everything so dull and silent? This wasn't how the world was supposed to be! His memories told him of clear, refreshing springs, green grass, blue sky, and gray, majestic mountains white at the tip. There should be birds chirping, and wind blowing, and …

Tap, tap, tap!

What could that be? He had never heard such a sound before.

"Who's a cute little mewtwo?" a high-pitched voice said. "You're a cute little mewtwo!"

 _I'm a ... 'cute little mewtwo'?_ he thought.

Then the tapping happened again.

"Kohaku, you idiot!" a baritone voice said. "Stop tapping the glass! You might break it!"

 _"Glass? What is glass? Who am I? What is this place?"_ the mewtwo asked himself in his mind. _"Are those … humans?"_

 _"Char!"_ another high-pitched voice with a slight growl said.

The mewtwo formed a representation of himself – a gray, bipedal feline with a purple tail – in the darkness, and looked around to see who said that. _"Excuse me?"_

 _"Charmander!"_

 _"What do you mean 'Charmander!' ? That's not a word!"_

At that moment, the mewtwo was met with a scary face with dark blue eyes and sharp fangs staring at him from the shadows to his left and making _"Rrrrr!"_ noises.

 _"Okay, okay, you grouch! I'll leave you alone then."_

The angry creature faded back into the blackness, leaving him in silence again.

 _"Bulba!"_ a hoarse voice said.

That startled him. He looked to his right and said, _"What?"_

 _"Bulbulbulba, bulbasaur!"_

 _"You're not making any sense either!"_

 _"Basaur, saur bulba. Bulbasaur!"_ _There it goes again!_

An even deeper voice joined in. _"Squiiirtle!"_

 _"Can any of you speak English? I do not understand these noises you're making!"_ the mewtwo said while putting his hands on his head.

The voices just yelled the same things to him, so there was his answer.

 _"Guess I'll go back to sleep then."_

* * *

An explosion rudely brought him out of his slumber. Sounds of broken glass and screams followed, causing chills to run down his spine.

 _What is going on?_ His voice sounded a bit deeper than last time, kind of like those of human male teenagers from his memories. Or were those his dreams?

A soprano voice said, "They've escaped! They're here!"

He took form inside his mind again and looked around. _Who are they?_ Looking at himself, he realized his body was slightly taller than last time.

"Ditto!" a squeaky voice said from the darkness.

The screaming started again.

 _Ditto? What does that mean? Why is everyone making so much noise?_

More squeaky voices joined in. "Ditto, ditto, ditto!"

"They're transforming!" _It was the voice of the one who scolded that Kohaku guy!_

A rumbling chorus of "Gyaraaaaa!" was heard.

"Run! They're preparing to use hyper beam!" the same guy from earlier said.

Thunderous explosions shook the mewtwo's body. _W-what is going on out there?!_

The sound of glass shattering followed by a weak "Bulbaaaa ..." was definitely not good news. The human screams had been drowned out, and then there was total silence ...

* * *

Bubbly noises grabbed the mewtwo's attention and brought him back from the realm of rest.

 _What is this feeling? My entire body is weak, and my … My stomach? Is that where it's supposed to be?_ He put his right hand under his chest. _Were my fingers supposed to look like this? There was a time, in my memories, when they were smaller and pointier, for some reason._

He used the extensions of his mind to feel around the area he was in, trying to communicate with any sentient being. There was a very weak sign of life coming from his left, but it did not respond to his attempt at connecting to it. His stomach was getting restless and was giving him too much stinging to remain comfortable any longer. It was time to make an effort to take control of his body for the first time.

 _Come on! Come on! I got this!_ he said as he focused on his eyelids' muscles. The second his eyes opened … _Yes!_ His pupils contracted from the size of an olive to that of a vertical needle. _Ouch! It burns!_ He quickly discovered he could control his arms too, as he put his hands over his eyes.

He could not keep staying like that; he needed to see. _Alright, here it goes again … Slower this time._ He removed one hand off his eye and carefully opened his eyelids. Everything was a blur for a moment, but then it became clear enough and he saw the collapsed tables, cracked flower pots, and destroyed tubes. When he opened his other eye, he had a better view once his depth perception kicked in.

Looking to his right, he saw a thing that was half brown, half yellow, and oval-shaped. "Hey!" He tried to reach out for it with his hands, but then got stopped by something. "Is this … the glass?" Turning around, he made a terrifying realization. "I'm trapped in glass! I-I'll run out of air! I got to get out of here!" He squirmed and hit the glass with whatever strength he had left after starving for so long, but it all seemed in vain. "No! I don't want to stay trapped like this! Someone get me out of here! Please! I'm suffocating!"

His fear turned into a powerful force that began to radiate out of his head. It then surrounded his body in a blue aura. The moment he screamed out loud, he caused a bubble of blue light to surround him and expand, cracking the glass tube open. Immediately, he found himself dropped hard onto the tube's floor as the liquid poured out.

Once he straightened his spine, he looked to his left. The other tube had a glass shard puncturing it, and it was leaking. Inside, there was an orange, slender, possibly bipedal creature with red stripes on its back, and a pointy tail. A blot of the same color as its stripes covered the being's head. Some thin cables were connected to the body.

"You do not look too well, little guy," the mewtwo said. Then he got off the tube's base and … fell on the floor, face first. He gritted his teeth and lifted his upper body off the blue tiled floor with his arms. For the moment, he would crawl. He'd still need some time to get the hang of using his limbs, but he really wanted to know what was in the other tube.

He stuck his face to the glass and peered into the holes from the side of the half yellow, half brown thing that was suspended in the liquid. Then, he saw bones. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened. "Did … did it …?" He looked at the cables on the floor of the tube. "Oh, no! What happened to you?" Turning around, his thoughts went to saving the poor orange creature that still seemed to have a chance at living.

It looked weak, but maybe with enough care it could regain its strength. "Don't worry, little guy! I'll get you out of there! Because I am … a cute little mewtwo!" He shifted his eyes and then added, "Or, well, you can just call me Mewtwo. That works too."

He grabbed the glass shard and used it to crack the glass further. The liquid and large shards of glass burst at him, soaking him up. But that did not keep him down; he got on his feet and smiled as he saw the orange creature start to wiggle.

"Are you okay? Can you speak?"

The tip of the orange creature's tail generated a small flame.

Mewtwo watched in awe. "Is that … fire?" Then, he received a tail to the face. "What the …?!"

"Char mander!" the critter said, getting up on its feet.

"Oh, so you were the one growling at me, huh?" Mewtwo said, a frown forming on his face.

"Char!"

"You could at least thank me for getting you out of that–"

The charmander creature snapped its jaws at Mewtwo's pointing hand, but missed.

"Why are you being like this? Look at you! You're half my height and you're trying to pick a fight with me!"

The charmander jumped at him, but Mewtwo managed to tumble out of the way.

"Charmander char!"

"I don't even know what that means!" Mewtwo said, swiftly getting back up to make eye contact with the nasty critter.

To his surprise, the charmander still had enough energy to jump at him a third time and even bite Mewtwo's tail.

Mewtwo shook his tail with charmander still hanging on to it and said, "Aaaah! Why would you do that?! It doesn't even fit properly in your mouth! That's the very literal example of biting off more than you can chew!"

The creature was not letting go, so Mewtwo had to figure out a way to save his tail. He thought a bit, and then he remembered something about a pink tail being chomped by a blue creature, and how the thing got sent flying off it. "That's it!" Then he began to spin while letting his tail and the charmander get pulled away from his body.

"Rrrr … mander!" the charmander said as he let go of Mewtwo and got sent flying, extremely dizzy, into a pile of cardboard boxes. It then got back up as its tail's tip set fire to the boxes. "Rrrrrr!"

"More fire," Mewtwo said. "This is definitely not good."

The charmander was glaring daggers at him while making "Rrrrrr!" noises again.

"Hey, I just remembered I got somewhere to go. See you around!" Mewtwo said as he began to back away. Before he could turn around, he received a blast of embers to the face. "Ow! Now listen here, you–" The moment Mewtwo pointed at the charmander, he received a stronger blast of flames that covered his skin in black blots. "Alright. We're doing this the hard way."

"Charrrrr!"

Mewtwo grabbed a chair and threw it at the little beast. A jet of fire burned through the chair's plastic and fabric, throwing back the heated metal pieces which Mewtwo barely dodged by jumping.

The charmander walked out of the fire that was spreading and glared at its adversary. "Char. Mander." It inhaled, clearly prepared to launch another scorching attack from its mouth.

Mewtwo grabbed a flower pot that had a palm tree half his size in it. "Let's see how you handle this!" He threw it at the orange creature, and, to his relief, the flame jet failed to destroy it. The pot hit the charmander straight in the chest while the remains of the palm tree slapped it in the face.

The flame on the charmander's tail tip doubled in size and began to burn fiercely. Taking in a deep breath, it launched an even stronger jet of flames at Mewtwo, who jumped away and hid behind a metal desk, not wanting to risk taking a hit from that extremely hot fire.

He was panting and looking around for anything he could grab. "How am I going to get away from this guy?" The desk's drawers! Maybe there was something in them that could help him. A thump coming from above the desk caused him to look up and see the furious charmander bearing its fangs at him.

Mewtwo grinned nervously. "Good charmander … Nice charmander … I'll just ..." In a swift motion, he pulled the top drawer and the flames were blocked from reaching his face. Then he opened the lowest drawer. "Please be something useful!" He found … "Marbles?" He turned one of them around and saw the button on it. After pushing it, the half red, half white ball split by a black stripe grew as big as his palm.

That angry face revealed itself from behind the top drawer. "Charmander!"

Mewtwo threw the ball straight at the charmander's wide-open mouth, and the creature chomped it.

"Mander?" It did not understand why its jaws were blocked, so it tried to check with its tongue, accidentally pressing the button on the ball. At that moment, the Charmander's body turned red and got absorbed into the ball, which shook once, twice, and then remained still after a third shake.

Mewtwo stared at the device, amazed by what he had just witnessed. "What did it do to him?" He approached the ball and tried to open it, but he did not have enough strength to pull it apart. Pushing the button only made it shrink back to its previous size. "Oh, no! What have I done?" He pushed it again, and the ball grew back. "How do I get him out? This isn't what I wanted! The poor little guy will starve to death in there!"

A booklet among the tiny balls caught his attention. "Poké ball user manual?" He opened it and read the instructions. "Pokémon? Is he a pokémon?" After grabbing the poké ball again, he said, "So, all I have to do is throw this onto the ground and say your name. Well, you say 'charmander' a lot, but that is not a real name. Let's see … How about … Charles? Yeah, that will do. Your name is Charles from now on." He swung his fist, and then said, "Charles, I choose you!" before gently throwing the poké ball on the floor.

Charles came out of the ball and then fell flat on the floor. "Chaaar ..."

"It says here that you are to follow my orders, because you are now assigned to me," Mewtwo said while pointing at the manual. Charles made quick work of the booklet by blowing some embers onto it and charring it. Mewtwo scowled at him.

"Mander."

"Anyway, I see you are also hungry. And skinny, might I add. Let's go check this place out!"

Charles turned his back at his master.

"Come on!" Mewtwo said while grabbing Charles by the tail.

"Chaaaar!"

Before he knew it, Mewtwo got more embers spat at him. "I'm beginning to wish I had just left you in that ball." Then he looked at the device. "Actually ..." He picked it up and said, "Charles, return!"

A red ray of light connected to Charles and brought him back into his poké ball.

"Now you're coming with me," Mewtwo said, cracking a smile at the ball. "Whether you like it or not."

* * *

He found and raided a refrigerator he had found in another room. There was plenty of food for him and his pokémon. Now it was time to get the little grouch out of the poké ball. "Charles, I choose you!" The moment Charles appeared, Mewtwo added, "Reluctantly."

Overwhelmed by hunger, Charles sank his teeth into a large piece of ham and cleaned the bone of its meat. His flame tripled in size and became brighter.

"Now you look better," Mewtwo said with glee.

Charles turned around and blew a jet of fire at his master. Trying to avoid the blast, Mewtwo jumped away and his hand accidentally hit a flat, gray device that was left on a counter by the humans that abandoned the place. A robotic voice from the device said, "Flamethrower. It is one of charmander's most powerful attacks. It may leave quite a burn on its target."

"So, you are a charmander," Mewtwo said. "You are one of those pokémon the manual mentioned. But … what is the purpose of a pokémon?"

Charles stared at him, confused. "Char?"

"Then again, what is _my_ purpose?" He stared at the bulbous fingers on his hands. "What am I? I sound like a human, so … I must be human, right?"

"Ar ..."

Mewtwo grabbed the device. "What are pokémon used for?" There was no answer to his question. "Hmm, maybe there are more books about pokémon in the room we came from. Let's check it out, Charles!"

Charles crossed his arms, looked away, and said, "Char."

"Charles, return!"

Charles was hit with the red ray and absorbed into the poké ball that Mewtwo held.

* * *

In another drawer, Mewtwo found a book about rare pokémon. His eyes widened when he saw the beauty of a bird with red, green, and yellow feathers flying toward a rainbow. Then he read the information below. "Ho-Oh is an extremely rare pokémon said to have shown itself to many trainers who had the ambition of becoming pokémon masters. For some it was the reason for the beginning of their journey." Mewtwo stared at the azure sky through the holes in the ceiling and smiled. "This world really is full of wonders. Just like in my dreams."

He grabbed a purple backpack and carried it to the kitchen. There, he shoved all the fruit, cans, and ham he had found in the fridge. "If we are to leave this abandoned place, we're going to need all the food we can get." The talking device caught his attention. "Oh, I may need this thing too." He grabbed it and put it in a side pocket of his new accessory, alongside Charles' poké ball.

The backpack was a bit heavy, and he had barely gotten the hang of using his fragile legs, but he was sure he would not fall over. He munched on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he had prepared for himself, then he walked through the giant hole in the wall from the back of the room.

Outside, he was met with green grass, blue sky and water, and fluffy white clouds, all bathing in sunlight. The air was also fresh, and the wind felt exactly like his dreams told him it would. Then he saw something he did not expect. The rainbow bird itself! Ho-Oh! It flew above him and headed for the horizon.

With eyes wide open, Mewtwo said, "That means …" He pointed at the sky with confidence. "I must become a pokémon master!" He ran toward the edge of the island, trying to follow the bird's path, but then he was acquainted with the concept of cliff, gravity, and splashing into water. Soaked, Mewtwo swam back to the surface. "This won't stop me!" Then he realized something. "Aw, man! I forgot to pack the poké balls! What kind of a trainer leaves without his poké balls?"

▶ **To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The New Guy in** **Pallet Town**

The waves were restless, constantly splashing against Mewtwo's body, making him grow tired from swimming for what seemed like forever. That backpack was making things worse the moment it got filled with water.

"I hope poké balls are watertight. Charles probably hates getting wet."

After passing by several sandy islets, he could see a forest. It looked almost like the one in his dreams, although it was much smaller. There could be a bigger piece of land there; he hoped to be able to finally rest his overworked muscles.

Something bright red with small yellow parts just zipped by beneath him. _What was that thing?_ He looked at the water around him, but the thing had disappeared among the waves. It didn't seem too big, so even if it still lurked around it would probably not be able to pull him under water. His fear of the sea's unknown depths made him hope there was nothing bigger than that down there.

"At last, my sea journey has come to an end!" he said as he stepped onto the grassy shore while holding his hands high.

"Sea?" It was a deep voice.

Mewtwo turned around to see who asked that, but all he could see was a small splash. "Is someone there?"

No answer.

"Well, that was odd," Mewtwo said. Then he sat on the shore and brought his right arm to his mouth, proceeding to lick it. The salty taste made his face scrunch up before he spat. "What was I thinking?! Why did I do that? And why does it taste so … horrible?"

"Dra, dra, dra, dra!"

That voice! This time, he had a creature to connect it to. A blue, spiky, nasty looking one with a long snout. It seemed to be about one head taller than his charmander.

"Sea!" it said.

"Are you a pokémon?"

"Dra, sea?"

"I'll find out what you are right now," Mewtwo said as he took his backpack off and unzipped the side pocket to bring out the talking device … which was soaking wet. "If this thing still works, that is."

The device lit its screen up exactly when it was pointed at the thorny creature, displaying its image on its screen. It then started to spew information like it was nobody's business. "Seadra, the dragon pokémon. Horsea's first evolved form. Its type is: water. Its fins have poisonous barbs that are used as ingredients in traditional medicine. It generates whirlpools by spinning its body below the water, capturing its prey in them. This pokémon can swim backwards by using its strong pectoral fins. Its strong tail allows it to remain hooked to coral while it sleeps. The male will protect its young and its nest fiercely, using both its poisonous barbs and the ink that it shoots from its mouth."

"That was a bit more information than I needed, but ..." Mewtwo said before he put the device back into his backpack, "now I know what you are, and that I need to keep a distance when dealing with you."

"Sea!" the seadra said, puffing up its chest. Its confidence disappeared the moment it saw Mewtwo search for something else in his rucksack.

"Good thing I climbed back to get these!" Mewtwo said as he took out a poké ball and enlarged it.

The seadra began to swim backward. "Sea dra dra!"

"Since you're a pokémon, this thing should be able to capture you! Go, poké ball!" He threw the ball straight at the creature, hitting it right on the forehead.

"Seadra!" the seadra cried out before being turned into red energy and getting sucked into the ball which then dropped into the shallow water.

"Yes! You're mine now!" Mewtwo said as he approached the ball.

To his surprise, the ball began to shake violently while its button glowed red. Then, the ball split open, allowing the furious seadra to get out.

"What?! Wasn't it supposed to keep you inside?" At that moment, Mewtwo's eyes met the seadra's infamous ink jet. "Ugh! What is this? It's so greasy! It's disgusting!"

"Dra, dra, dra!" the seadra said as it swam away smugly.

"And it smells like fish!" Mewtwo said while rubbing the ink off his eyes. When he finally got it all off, he saw the seadra in the distance, way too far for him to throw any more balls at it. "Darn it!" he said while stomping the ground and wiggling his tail.

"What kind of trainer are ya?"

Mewtwo turned around to see who was asking. He saw a boy who wore a blue cap, a yellow t-shirt, and black shorts.

"Don't you know that you have to weaken it first?" the youngster said.

Mewtwo stared at him, confused. "Weaken it?"

"First, you have to send out your pokémon to battle it. For example, I would send out my Nutcracker here ..." The youngster pointed at a brown creature that had a white belly and long, thick whiskers. The pokémon reached slightly past the waist of its trainer in height.

Mewtwo lowered his left ear. "Nutcracker?"

"That's his nickname. He's a raticate, but I call him Nutcracker because he likes to crack nuts in the attic every morning."

"He looks like a nice pokémon," Mewtwo said while smiling. "I should get Charles out to meet him." He went to search for Charles' poké ball in the backpack. When he called out the charmander's nickname, Charles forced the poké ball to open and materialized without Mewtwo saying the summoning words.

"Char!"

The youngster's eyes widened. "Whoa! That's your charmander? It has some neat markings!"

"Yeah, I caught him on that island over there," Mewtwo said while pointing at the volcano that could be seen all the way from there. "That's also kind of … my home, I guess."

"You're from Cinnabar Island? No wonder you don't look like the people from around here!"

Mewtwo tried to say something, but he was interrupted when he heard Charles growl.

Nutcracker's fur puffed up. "Raaaat!"

"I think they want to test their strength," the youngster said.

Mewtwo gasped. "They want to fight?"

"Yeah, pokémon tend to do that. It's in their blood to challenge each other."

Seeing Charles' flame burn stronger than usual, Mewtwo said, "I'm not so sure it would be a good idea to let them fight."

"Rrrmander!" Charles yelled as he jumped at Nutcracker, who barely dodged his bite attack.

Mewtwo held his tail in his arms as he watched the showdown. "This can't end well ..."

The youngster decided to take control. "Nutcracker! Quick attack!"

The raticate moved with such agility that Charles could not stop it from headbutting him in the chest. The impact caused Charles to fall on his back, but the fight was not over yet. He got back up and used his claws to scratch Nutcracker's face.

"Rat!" Nutcracker yelled as he jumped away holding his snout with his paws.

"Now that was brutal," Mewtwo said.

"That's nothing," the youngster said. "Pokémon fights can get even more intense." He turned his cap's visor to the back and said, "Watch this! Nutcracker, hyper fang!"

Nutcracker ran behind Charles and bit the charmander's tail with his big front teeth.

"Chaaaarm!" Charles shrieked before turning around to bite the raticate's tail as well.

"Oh, man, this is getting complicated!" Mewtwo said, watching the two pokémon form a ring while they held on to each other's tail, spinning.

"You're right. It's time to end this fight," the youngster said. "Nutcracker! Use hyper beam!"

Mewtwo's mouth remained open while he said, "Hyper beam?"

The youngster stared at him. "How do you even speak without moving your mouth?"

The raticate let go of Charles' tail and began to inhale deeply. Charles saw the red glow that formed inside Nutcracker's mouth, so he let go of the raticate's tail and ran out of the way before Nutcracker could hit him with the red hyper beam. Some scorched grass was left behind in the place where the ray struck.

"Can Charles use that attack too?"

"What?!" the youngster shouted after hearing Mewtwo's question. "Hyper beam can only be learned by fully evolved pokemon! Your charmander hasn't even evolved once!"

"How do I evolve him?"

Nutcracker was tired after launching the hyper beam and was trying to catch his breath. It was enough of an opening for Charles to land a flamethrower attack on the raticate.

"You evolve him by letting him battle. Something which I doubt you usually do, because you aren't even giving him any orders right now. Nutcracker! Get up! I've got a plan!"

The raticate shook his body to get the soot out of his fur and nodded at his trainer.

Mewtwo pointed at his charmander. "Charles! Use flamethrower! Now!"

Charles responded by using flamethrower … on Mewtwo.

"Why you …" Mewtwo said, his skin completely blackened.

Then Charles focused on his opponent and took in a deep breath, preparing to launch a second flamethrower attack.

"Perfect!" the youngster said. "Nutcracker! Sucker punch!"

Nutcracker delivered an uppercut to Charles' chin, causing the flamethrower to miss.

Mewtwo was washing the soot off himself in the water. The youngster looked at him and said, "Are you going to order him to attack or not?"

"What's the point? He won't listen to me."

"Well then … Nutcracker! Hyper beam!"

Nutcracker prepared the red ray again.

"Uh … Charles! Sucker punch!"

Charles stared awkwardly at Mewtwo and said, "Mander?" Then he got hit by Nutcracker's hyper beam.

The youngster face-palmed. "How in the world did you expect that to work? Charmander cannot learn that move!"

Charles was on the ground, covered in burn marks. The flame on his tail tip tripled in size and his eyes had a piercing stare fixed on the raticate. He got back up and said, "Char mander!"

"Looks like your charmander's blaze has been invoked," the youngster said.

"Blaze?"

"Charmander's anger increases after it sustains a lot of damage. This makes it put more power into its fire-based attacks."

Charles showed his fangs to Nutcracker. "Rrrr!"

Mewtwo stepped back on land and said, "Charles! Use flamethrower!"

Charles took in a deep breath and then … blew out a shape made of fire that looked similar to a human with its arms and legs spread out. It hit Nutcracker so hard it pushed him into the water.

"Whoa! He knows fire blast?!" the youngster said.

Mewtwo lowered his left ear again. "Fire blast?"

The youngster took out his poké ball and pointed it at the sea. "Nutcracker! Return!" His raticate got beamed back into the ball. "You don't seem to know your pokémon at all, man."

Charles kept blowing jets of fire toward the sky while flexing his muscles.

"Charles, re–" Mewtwo didn't even get to finish his order because he was hit with a flamethrower, getting blackened again. "Oh, come on! We've been over this!" He pointed the ball at his pokémon again. "I've got the ball. I am your master. Now get back in here!" The beam of light connected to Charles and recalled him before he could cause any more damage. Then Mewtwo went back into the water to get the soot off again.

"Your charmander is very disobedient. I think he has not even an ounce of respect for you. How many gym badges have you earned so far?"

Mewtwo scratched the back of his head. "Uh, gym badges?"

"I can't believe this!" the youngster said, turning his cap with its visor to the front again. "You got a charmander that has reached level 37 at the very least, yet you don't know anything about its attacks. In fact, you don't seem to know anything about pokémon training in general! How did you get this pokémon anyway? Did ya steal it?"

Mewtwo held his hands in front of himself. "No, I … I found him. He attacked me and I've captured him. Our relationship hasn't improved ever since."

"So, you're not an official pokémon trainer yet. I guess you were on your way to Professor Oak's lab."

Mewtwo formed a question mark with his tail. "Who is Professor Oak?"

"Man, you islanders know nothing!" the youngster said. "If you want to be an official pokémon trainer, you have to talk to Professor Oak from Pallet Town. Just head this way down that path and you'll find his lab there. He'll give you a pokédex and maybe some advice on how to train your pokémon, because you really need to get your act together!"

"Thank you. I'll do my best."

"Also, take these," the youngster said as he gave Mewtwo some circular pieces of yellow metal.

Mewtwo stared at them as they rested in his paws. "What are these?"

"Pokédollars. You can use them to buy stuff around these parts."

"I see. Thanks."

"Well, good luck on your journey, new guy!" the youngster said. "I'm off to Viridian City. I'll meet ya there later if you choose to visit that city."

Mewtwo waved at the boy."Alright! I hope to see you again!"

The youngster hopped on his bicycle and left. Mewtwo picked his backpack up and put it on himself, then he started his trip to Pallet Town.

* * *

A fisherman carried his rod over his shoulder and whistled cheerfully. He was going to continue his daily search for the biggest magikarp ever caught. But then he saw something that was never seen before in all of Kanto: a very alien looking, bipedal cat the size of an average teenager, with a backpack on its back. It was heading his way!

The big feline stopped and stared at him with those big eyes that had purple irises. Then it talked. "Hello, sir! Could you tell me where I can find Professor Oak's lab?"

The fisherman started to shake and babble, not believing what he was just witnessing. In a split second, he turned around and ran away screaming.

Mewtwo shrugged and said, "Well, that was weird. Maybe they don't get many visitors from the island." He continued to look around, admiring the beautiful white houses that had red roofs. There was grass almost everywhere, and some bushes and trees sprinkled around the quiet little neighborhood.

A building atop a hill had a spinning thing with four yellow blades. This made Mewtwo want to investigate it. He had to walk on a bridge to get over the river, but he finally reached the red brick gate posts that had a gray orb on top each. The gate between them was wide open. There was a sign on one of the gate posts that said: Professor Oak's Pokémon Laboratory. A stairway cut between some bushes and trees, leading to the laboratory.

"This is the place!" Mewtwo said.

* * *

Inside, two middle-aged, bespectacled men and a woman were busy working on some devices while an old man stood in front of a table and enjoyed sipping from a glass of refreshing orange juice.

"Hello!"

When they heard that, all three people near the entrance turned around and stared at their visitor. They could not utter a word.

When the old man heard footsteps behind him, he turned around holding his glass of orange juice and said, "Hello there!" His smile quickly turned into a wide open mouth as the glass dropped out of his hand, shattering into pieces and leaving an orange puddle on the floor. "A-are you a boy or a g-girl?"

Mewtwo wiggled his tail while rubbing his chin with his right hand. "I'm not sure. I mean, my voice sounds like that of a boy, so, maybe I am a boy."

The old man took a step back. "Who are …? I mean … What is your name?"

"It's Mewtwo, sir. Are you Professor Oak?"

"Y-yes I am. What brings you to my lab?"

"Well, someone told me I needed to talk to you and get my stuff sorted out."

"Alright then," Professor Oak said with a nod. "What do you need help with?"

"I want to become a pokémon master," Mewtwo said with a serious face.

"Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say …? Hold on; I am not sure I understand what's going on here. What are you?"

"I'm a human, I guess."

The professor didn't seem too convinced about that.

Mewtwo lowered his ears. "I came from Cinnabar Island. The kid I've met on the shore nearby implied that us islanders are weird."

"There are more of you?"

"I don't know for sure," Mewtwo said as he got his backpack off. "The only other being I've met on that island is this little guy." He took out a poké ball. "Charles!"

Hearing his name, Charles popped out of the ball and materialized in front of Mewtwo. Then he began to growl at the professor.

"I see he is an angry little fellow," Professor Oak said, keeping his distance. "The markings he has are not something I have ever found on any charmander I have studied this far."

"What does a normal charmander look like?"

The professor brought a flat, red device and showed it to Mewtwo. "Pokédex! Show information on charmander!"

The pokédex lit up its screen and displayed a charmander without any red markings, then said, "Charmander, the lizard pokémon. It prefers hot places. Steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail during rain."

"Oh! I've got one of these talking things too! Let me show you!" Mewtwo said as he searched through the pocket of his backpack. Then he brought out his gray device. "Here it is!"

The device detected Charles and displayed his image on its screen. "Charmander, the lizard pokémon. Its type is: fire. Its tail flame burns from the moment of charmander's birth. The strength of its flame is a direct reflection of this pokémon's health. During the rain, its flame will continue to burn while releasing steam. If charmander is angry, its tail flame burns intensely."

Mewtwo was beginning to get bored of listening to it, but the statements continued.

"This pokémon prefers hot areas, which is why they tend to hang around volcanoes. When it reaches the end of its life, the flame on the tip of its tail goes out."

The professor took a closer look at it. "Well, it's … certainly more advanced than the pokédex I've created. Who made it?"

"I don't know," Mewtwo said. "I just found it in that building on the island."

"All I can say is that it's a modified, unregistered pokédex."

"Unregistered?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes. The original pokédex is given to each official trainer. It is not only a pokémon encyclopedia, but also a trainer's identity document." He reached out with his right hand toward Mewtwo. "Could I see it, please?"

Mewtwo gave his pokédex to him.

The professor turned it around. "Have you ever tried pointing it at yourself?"

Immediately, the gray pokédex lit up and showed Mewtwo's photo. "Mewtwo, the genetic pokémon. Its type is: psychic. Years of gene splicing and DNA engineering experiments led to the creation of the most powerful pokémon ever known to humankind. Its brain makes it capable of faster problem solving than an alakazam ever could achieve. Its body is just as strong as its mind. This pokémon was built to be a fighting machine."

Mewtwo froze in place, mouth agape, tail on the floor.

* * *

The fisherman was frantically pulling the hand of a green-haired woman in uniform. "I'm telling you, Officer Jenny! It was this tall!" He put his hand at his shoulder level. "Catlike, mostly gray, with a long, purple tail. A-and it talked!"

"A talking pokémon?" Officer Jenny said.

"I swear I'm not crazy, officer!"

"There have been rumors about a talking meowth roaming these streets, but your description doesn't really match its appearance. Perhaps it evolved into a persian."

The fisherman shook his head. "That was no persian! It was something much more sinister! I could see it in its eyes!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** **Do You Even Train, Bro?**

"So, you say you want to train pokémon ..." Professor Oak said.

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes, I do. I want to travel and learn by their side, to be just like that trainer I've met by the sea."

The professor closed his eyes. "That would make for an interesting experiment, but ... that line about the fighting machine aspect worries me."

"Sir, I'm sitting at a table, drinking orange juice with you," Mewtwo said with a serious expression on his face. "If I truly were a walking hazard, I would have caused some major destruction by now."

Professor Oak opened his eyes and stared at the glass in his right hand, deep in thought. He had years of experience with all known types of pokémon, but he was not prepared for something like _this_.

"Professor Oak?" It was a woman's voice.

The professor and Mewtwo turned their heads to see who she was. The former said, "Officer Jenny?"

The officer looked at the strange pokémon that sat at the table. Her growlithe followed her into the laboratory and began to growl. "Growlithe! Cease your growling!" she said.

The professor put his glass back on the table. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Officer Jenny eyed Mewtwo and said, "A man reported a sighting of an unknown pokémon in this town. Could he be referring to your … guest?"

"Well, he might be. This is Mewtwo. Apparently, he's a pokémon created by some scientists on Cinnabar Island. He … wants to become a pokémon master."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "A pokémon training pokémon?"

Mewtwo curled his tail in the form of a question mark and said, "Why not? It sounds like the perfect opportunity to travel and help pokémon become stronger. Besides, I have no idea what else I could do, now that I'm here."

"Professor, what kind of pokémon is he? Does he fit into the typing system?"

"This unregistered pokédex he brought stated that he is a psychic type," Oak told the officer.

Mewtwo hoped that the professor would not give any further information about him. He wanted a chance at being a part of civilization. Telling people that he was created with the sole purpose of being a combat tool would extinguish any spark of hope he had at that point.

"A psychic type?" Officer Jenny said. "Having a psychic type pokémon among human trainers might be a bad idea. Can we trust him not to use his powers to harm people?"

"Powers?" Mewtwo said as he stared at her.

"Yes, Mewtwo," the professor said, "all pokémon have powers – most of them connected to their typing. For example, you are using telepathy right now to communicate with us."

"I am?"

"Yes. Normally, you'd have to use your mouth to make sounds in order to actually speak. Go ahead, try to say something without using your telepathy."

Mewtwo took in a deep breath, opened his mouth, and then let out a trilled "Mew!"

"Char, char, char, char!" Charles was rolling on the floor, definitely laughing at him.

Mewtwo scowled at him, only to be met with more charmander laughter.

The professor cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you wish to discover the rest of your powers and hone them, I suggest you ask Sabrina from Saffron City's gym to help you out. She specializes in psychic type pokémon."

Mewtwo nodded. "Alright, I'll look for her once I get there."

Officer Jenny approached him. "Mewtwo, did you go through evolution at some point?"

"I don't think so. I've been the same ever since I woke up."

"Was there any evolution planned for you?"

"I don't know, madam," Mewtwo said. "I just know I was created and … abandoned."

Professor Oak frowned. "Abandoned? What happened there?"

"I've heard screams … stuff getting smashed, and ... a chorus of roars. And then someone said something about hyper beam ... That's all I can remember. I was still sleeping when it happened. The whole place was a mess when I woke up."

"Well, it sounds like those scientists had more than one genetically engineered pokémon in that lab."

"I suspect Charles, my charmander, might be one as well. He was in a … container, just like the one I was in."

"Two genetically engineered pokémon?" Officer Jenny said. "Professor, I'm not sure we could trust them to compete with the other trainers."

"Yeah! And how do we even know that Mewtwo is ten years old?" one of Oak's assistants said.

Professor Oak face-palmed. "That's the least of our concerns, Willow!"

Officer Jenny looked at Mewtwo and said, "Pokémon don't really stand a chance at being trainers. The idea is absurd. Pokémon don't obey other pokémon, they challenge them."

Mewtwo formed his right hand into a fist. "If they challenge me, then I will win! I'll show them who's boss!"

Charles blew his flamethrower onto Mewtwo, leaving him with soot all over his face.

Mewtwo grabbed the poké ball he kept on the table. "That's it! In the poké ball you go! Charles! Return!" with that, he successfully recalled his pokémon. "There!"

"He still doesn't respect you," Willow said while adjusting the glasses on his nose.

"Just give me a chance!" Mewtwo said while trying to wipe the soot off his face with his hands.

"Use this," the professor said as he gave him a handkerchief.

Mewtwo took it and began to clean himself. "Thanks."

"Look, Mewtwo," Professor Oak began, "I'm willing to give you a chance ..."

Officer Jenny's eyes widened. "What?! Professor, he's a pokémon! Other trainers aren't going to take him seriously! At worst they'd be trying to capture him! How can a pokémon lead a team to victory when it would risk getting recruited by its opponents?"

The professor took a sip of orange juice, put the glass down, and then said, "To be honest, I _am_ worried about what someone could do if they got their hands on Mewtwo, but … that look in his eyes … That's the look of determination I've seen on every great trainer I've met."

Mewtwo put the poké ball back on the table and kept his right hand on top of it. "I will do everything it takes, Professor! I will earn Charles' and trainers' respect, and I will recruit other pokémon and train them to become the best!"

The professor smiled. "Alright. I'm in on this."

Officer Jenny and the assistants all shouted, "What?!"

"I believe everyone deserves a chance at being a trainer, as long as they take responsibility. This could be a pretty interesting experiment. I want to see where this will go."

"Really?" Mewtwo said with a smile. "Thank you, Professor! I won't let you down!"

"I'll take your pokédex for a moment," the professor said, grabbing the device off the table and taking it upstairs.

Officer Jenny stared at Mewtwo with a look of disapproval. "My sisters and I will keep an eye on you. If you try anything funny, we will take serious measures, and you might even end up getting captured." Her growlithe supported her by growling at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo stared back with eyes wide and swallowed audibly.

"There we go!" the professor said as he came back with Mewtwo's pokédex in his right hand and something else in his other one. "I have registered it. You are now an official pokémon trainer. Take these six poké balls as well."

Mewtwo got up from his seat, took the items, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Professor." Then he put the pokédex and the new balls in his backpack's side pocket.

"You're welcome. Oh, by the way … Will you be keeping Charles as your starter or would you exchange him for a normal charmander?"

"Exchange? No way! Charles and I were together ever since the beginning of this journey!"

Professor Oak chuckled. "That's the spirit! Now go out there, catch some pokémon, train them, and challenge all the gyms in Kanto! Maybe I'll see you at the Indigo Plateau if you're good enough to make it there."

Mewtwo put his backpack on and, with a confident smile, he said, "I'll be on my way!"

* * *

On route 1, Mewtwo was about to enter the tall grass. As he stepped into it, he could have sworn he saw movement to his left. Whatever it was, it went away too fast for him to see it. He considered it might be safe enough to continue his trip, so he marched on.

He was about to get out of the grass, but something blocked his way. When he moved the grass blades out of his sight to figure out what the thing was, a bird with black bands extending from behind its eyes glared at him.

"Pidgey!" it cried out.

"Ah!" Mewtwo said as he jumped away. "What are you?!" He quickly searched his backpack for the pokédex and brought it out. "Let's see ..."

The pokédex detected the creature and said, "Pidgey, the tiny bird pokémon. Its types are: normal and flying. Pidgey is a docile pokémon, often avoiding confrontation and choosing to kick sand to make its escape while the enemy is confused. It can find its way home from any place on the planet, which is why they were used to carry messages in the past. This pokémon is a common sight in forests and tall grass."

"It _finally_ shut up!" Mewtwo said before putting his pokédex back into his backpack.

"Pidgey!" the creature said, still staring at him.

Mewtwo approached while holding Charles' pokéball in his hand. "This time, I'm going to weaken it."

Seeing that Mewtwo continued to advance, the pidgey ruffled its feathers in an attempt to make itself look bigger. Since it had no effect and Mewtwo was only three steps away from it, the pokémon flew straight for Mewtwo's face.

The tall grass rustled as Mewtwo screamed, "Aaaah! Get off! Leave me alone!" There was a trail of moving grass as Mewtwo ran through it until he finally got out on the field on the other side. Catching his breath, he telepathically said, "Docile, my tail! How can something so tiny be so violent?"

In front of him, a dense forest extended. He could choose to go through it or face more pidgey and whatever else lurked in the tall grass. _Squeezing through the trees it is!_

It took a while, but his efforts paid off: he reached Viridian City, where all rooftops were emerald green. There were three buildings that stood out. One with a red orb at the center of a hemisphere above its entrance, one with a flat blue roof, and one with a roof split in half – one side being lower than the other. The third one got Mewtwo curious enough to approach it.

In front of the building there was a fountain with a pokémon head statue pouring the water into it. There were two stairways, one on the left and one on the right of the fountain. The copper door at the entrance had four pillars on each side. When Mewtwo got there, he was stopped by two human male guards who crossed their spears in front of him.

"Halt!" one of the guards said. "The gym leader is not here. This gym is not active at this time."

Mewtwo said, "Oh, this is a gym! Well, when will the gym leader return?"

"We're not sure. Check back after a few days."

"Alright," Mewtwo said. "I'll just go look around and then I'll continue my journey. Have a nice day!"

He chose to go into the building that had the red orb. There he met a pink-haired woman who wore a white hat with a red plus sign on it. She said, "Welcome to Viridian City's pokémon center! I'm Nurse Joy. Did your trainer send you here? You look pretty worn out."

"Um, I am a trainer."

The nurse took a step back. "Y-you can talk?!"

"Well, not exactly," Mewtwo said while wiggling his tail. "I use telepathy, and that is why you can hear me."

"Amazing! We can heal you if you'd like."

"Yes, that would be nice after what that pidgey did to me. But, please, heal my pokémon first."

The nurse watched as Mewtwo brought out a poké ball from his backpack's side pocket. "Your pokémon? I've never seen a pokémon own another pokémon before."

Mewtwo shrugged. "There's a first time for everything, I guess."

"Yeah, heheh ..." the nurse said as she took the poké ball from him. She put it in one of the six slots of a device, and the ball lit up. Once the green light went away, she took the ball and brought it back. "Here it is. As for you … I'm guessing you don't have a poké ball for yourself, so … I'll have to use a potion on you."

"A potion? What is that?"

"Wait here!" she said as she went to search through a drawer at her desk. She returned with a purple spray bottle. "This is a potion. You use it to spray the contents on a pokémon. May I use it on you?"

Mewtwo smiled. "Sure, go ahead!"

"Alright. Don't move!" She pressed the top of the bottle and a spray of droplets came out of its small pipe.

When the substance landed on Mewtwo's face, it was so refreshing that he closed his eyes and thought that his head was in a bunch of fluffy clouds. She sprayed it on the rest of his body and he began to stretch out. "I have never felt so invigorated!" he said.

Nurse Joy smiled at him. "You can buy these from the poké mart nearby and use it on any pokémon to heal it. Do be aware that for stronger pokémon you might need a larger quantity or a more concentrated potion."

"Thanks, nurse! I'll go buy some, especially since Charles likes getting himself into battles."

"Come in any time if you need healing!" she said, waving as Mewtwo left.

* * *

At the poké mart, the man behind the counter could not find his words when he was faced with a tall, bipedal feline as his client.

"Good day, sir! No need to worry, I just want to buy something," Mewtwo said, trying to look as friendly as possible.

"W-w-what kind of pokémon are you?"

"I'm a psychic type. My name is Mewtwo."

"Hey!" _That voice sounds familiar ..._

Mewtwo turned around and saw the youngster from Pallet Town.

"So, you finally made it to Viridian City!" the kid said.

"Yeah, and I've met Professor Oak and I … found out that I'm a pokémon."

"I thought you were just a strange looking guy from that island, but you're actually a talking pokémon! That's awesome!"

"The pokédex I found on the island said I'm a pokémon created by scientists. They named me Mewtwo."

"Oh, well, my creators – also known as my mom and dad – named me Yan," the youngster said and then grinned at him.

"Nice name!" Mewtwo said.

"Did you become an official trainer?"

Mewtwo nodded. "I definitely did! The professor is curious to see how this will turn out. I hope I can make him proud!" Then he struck a pose with his right fist into the air, one leg in front, and one behind.

"Is there something I could serve you with?"

Mewtwo realized he had left the shopkeeper waiting, so he looked back at him and said, "Sorry! One potion, please!"

"That will be 300 pokédollars," the shopkeeper said, bringing the potion.

Mewtwo put three coins on the counter. "That's exactly how much I have."

The shopkeeper tried to smile, still shaking. "Thank you! H-have a nice day!"

"I'll just buy an antidote for my dad's pokémon and will be on my way home," Yan said. "Mewtwo, you should challenge Pewter City's gym. Just be careful, I heard that Brock's Onix is super tough!"

"Alright, thanks for the warning!" Mewtwo said as he smiled. "Pewter Gym, here I come!"

* * *

Much to Mewtwo's disappointment, route 2 was covered in tall grass. And _of course_ there had to be stuff moving through it!

There were yellow worm-like pokémon popping up everywhere and then disappearing as soon as Mewtwo got too close to them. He brought his pokédex out and pointed it at one.

"Weedle, the hairy bug pokemon. Its types are: bug and poison. The red nose – called a proboscis – is used to sniff for its favorite kinds of leaves. This pokémon eats its weight in leaves daily. Weedle has a bright coloration to warn off predators. If that fails, it will use the stinger on its head to deliver poison into the skin of the attacker."

Mewtwo kept searching for a slower weedle, but they all got out of his way before he could have a clear path to see anything properly. Then he came across a creature with black eyes and a round head. Its body had no limbs. Still holding the pokédex in his hand, Mewtwo checked it.

"Kakuna, the cocoon pokémon. The evolved form of weedle. Its types are: bug and poison. This pokémon is almost completely immobile, only capable of hardening its outer shell and using a stinger. It prepares for–"

"That's enough!" Mewtwo said as he put the pokédex back and got a poké ball out. "Charles! Go get it!"

Charles materialized and looked at the kakuna in front of him. He scowled and blew smoke on it before crossing his arms and looking at his trainer.

"You're supposed to weaken it!"

Charles stuck his tongue out at Mewtwo. Behind him, the kakuna got angry and started to swing its body left to right. Then, out of its back came a bright yellow creature with red eyes and translucent white wings. It buzzed as it revealed its front hands ending in stingers.

"Pokédex, I need you!" Mewtwo said as he brought the device out.

"Beedrill, the poison bee pokémon. The final evolution of weedle. Its types are: bug and poison. When startled, beedrill will use the stingers on its arms and tail to attack anything it deems a threat. The sting is very painful and its venom may kill humans and pokémon alike."

"Uh-oh!" Mewtwo said.

Charles glared at the beedrill, waving his tail. The bee pokémon began to vibrate its wings and flew toward him. Charles used flamethrower in an attempt to roast the beedrill, but all it did was ignite the grass around them.

"You idiot!" Mewtwo said as the fire began to spread.

The beedrill flew away, not wanting to risk getting burned.

"Charles! Return!" Mewtwo said while he pointed the poké ball at him. After retrieving his charmander, he threw soil over the flames, putting them out.

A large portion of the grassy area had become barren due to the burning of the vegetation.

Mewtwo looked at Charles' poké ball and said, "If anyone asks, it was like this when we got here."

Then a swarm of beedrill arrived and chased Mewtwo through the Viridian Forest.

* * *

The doors of Pewter Gym were slammed open as Mewtwo made his swift entrance. Then he shut them just in time to avoid getting a stinger in his face.

"Whoa, there!" a young man with squinted eyes said. "What's going on?"

"Beedrill! Beedrill everywhere!" Mewtwo yelled.

"Oh. Those tend to go crazy around this time of the year. Anyway, are you a pokémon?"

"Yes, but I'm also a trainer! Are you Brock, the gym leader?"

"Why, yes I am."

"I'm Mewtwo and I have come to challenge you!"

"Hmm, a pokémon challenging my gym … Sure, I'll take you on."

* * *

The gym's battlefield was a rocky terrain with lots of pointy peaks jutting out of the ground. Brock smiled proudly as he prepared to throw in his first pokémon.

Mewtwo brought out Charles' poké ball and waited to see what his opponent had in store for him.

"Here goes!" Brock said, throwing the poké ball. "Geodude! Go!"

Geodude materialized on the ground as a boulder with two strong arms. "Geo!"

Mewtwo threw his ball in. "Charles! I choose you!"

Charles came out and looked at his opponent. "Charrrr!" he said with a look of disgust on his face.

"Geodude! Geo, geodude!"

"Rrrmander!"

Mewtwo was confused. "I wonder what they're saying."

"You're a pokémon and you don't understand them?" Brock said.

"Well, I don't talk like that."

Brock crossed his arms. "Anyway, let's begin our battle." He pointed at his pokémon and said, "Geodude! Tackle!"

Charles took the hit straight in the chest, and then rolled on the ground, away from Brock's Geodude. Getting back up, he eyed the levitating boulder pokémon and showed his fangs. "Rrr!"

Mewtwo pointed at Geodude. "Charles! Use your flamethrower on it!"

Charles blew a puff of smoke in Mewtwo's direction, and then used fire blast on Geodude. The attack barely caused any damage to it.

Brook shook his head. "First you use a fire type pokémon, then you use a fire type move. You do realize you're up against an opponent with the rock and ground typing, right?"

Mewtwo stared at him with a worried look on his face. "Is that bad?"

"It's about to get worse. For you, that is. Geodude! Dig!"

Geodude used its strong arms to dig a hole in the ground and disappeared from Charles sight, leaving the charmander confused.

"He just went underground!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Look out!"

Charles looked around but could not tell from where Geodude was about to strike next. Then, Geodude burst right from the ground beneath him.

"Charles!" Mewtwo screamed.

Charles landed on his back again, with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he saw Geodude flex its rock muscles at him. He got up and focused his stare on his opponent.

Geodude extended its right hand and kept moving its fingers towards itself to taunt Charles. "Geo, dude!"

Charles showed his claws. "Rrrmander!" Then his whole body started to glow bright white.

Mewtwo gasped. "What's happening to him?"

Charles's height increased rapidly until he was almost as tall as Mewtwo. Then a horn grew on the back of his head. When the glow faded away, Charles revealed his new form: he was mostly red, with a cream belly and blue eyes. His markings were exactly the same as before, only a darker shade than the rest of his body. His claws were white, longer, and sharper than before.

Brock said, "Congratulations! Your charmander evolved into charmeleon!" After a brief pause, he added, "Though I don't think he's going to hold out much longer. He's still at a type disadvantage."

"Char meleon!" Charles said before he jumped and then used his claws to dig his way under the ground.

Mewtwo's eyes widened. "Did he just use dig?!"

Charles dug his way out and hit Geodude hard, knocking it unconscious.

"Him learning dig does not surprise me, since it _is_ a move the entire charmander evolutionary line can learn," Brock said. "But the fact that he learned it and used it by himself amazes and saddens me at the same time. He's a great pokémon, but his trainer is … stupid, to say the least."

Mewtwo almost fell off his feet after hearing that.

Brock recalled Geodude and then prepared another poké ball. "Do you have any other pokémon?"

"Uh … no."

"Then I'm sorry, but you're going to lose this battle. Go, Onix!"

The giant rock snake materialized and towered over Charles.

Mewtwo stared at Onix. "Is that another rock-ground type?"

"Yes, it is," Brock said, "unfortunately for you. Onix! Rock throw!"

Onix slammed its tail onto the ground and sent rocks flying at Charles, who got hit by some of them but still managed to stand. In retaliation, Charles dug his way below the ground again and popped up from under Onix, leaving a large dent in one of its trunk rocks.

"Your Charles is quickly becoming a one-trick pony," Brock said, holding his right hand in his pocket. "Now he has tired himself out, still has a type disadvantage, and my Onix is still quite peppy."

Mewtwo gritted his teeth. "Charles! Keep away from Onix and prepare to dodge!"

"Onix! Rock throw!"

Hearing his master's order, Onix threw the rocks from the ground again, but this time Charles avoided the attack.

"Use that weirdly shaped fire attack, Charles!" Mewtwo ordered.

"You mean fire blast," Brock said.

Mewtwo grinned. "Yeah, use fire blast, Charles!"

For once, Charles listened to him and used fire blast on Onix. It was not very effective, but it definitely caused enough damage to make Onix barely support its own weight.

"Alright, Charles! We got this! Just dig one more time and attack! Onix will be going down!" Mewtwo said, smirking.

Charles spread his claws and dug into the ground once more, preparing to attack from below.

The gym leader slowly shook his head. "You used dig again. Big mistake."

Mewtwo's smile faded away after hearing that.

Brock looked at his pokémon and calmly said, "Onix ... Earthquake."

Onix struck the ground with its tail, causing a major shock wave that shattered the floor of the battlefield.

Mewtwo reached out toward where he had last seen his pokémon. "Oh, no! Charles!"

Onix dug into the ground and brought an unconscious Charles in its mouth. Then it gently placed the charmeleon at Mewtwo's feet.

Brock pointed at Mewtwo and said, "You're out!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** **I Challenge You!**

"Charles! Wait!"

The charmeleon continued to run through Viridian Forest, slipping between the gnarly trees while Mewtwo was on his trail.

"Come on, Charles! Please come back!"

Charles had already disappeared from his trainer's sight. Mewtwo looked for any sign of fire in the forest. _Man, that potion sure ticked Charles off! At least it healed him._

Kakuna were all over some trees, watching Mewtwo with their menacing black eyes. He hoped that they would prefer to conserve their energy instead of deciding to break out of their shells as beedrill, because Brock might not let him use his gym as shelter a second time. Not after that defeat he and Charles had been through.

Just then, a bright light shone through the trees up ahead. Could it be Charles?

When he got there, he realized that the flashes were not from fire … but from lightning.

"Pika, pika, pika!" a yellow creature said in a menacing tone toward another of its kind. The raised hair on their backs showed just how tense the situation was.

"Piiiiiii!" the other one cried out as it seemed to prepare for a jump.

They both charged at each other and unleashed yellow bolts of lightning as they butted heads. After dropping back on the ground, they launched more electric attacks at each other and continued to make a lot of noise.

Mewtwo would have brought his pokédex out to identify them, but he feared that its voice might make them run away. Throwing a poké ball was another idea he had but gave up on – Charles was not there to weaken the pokémon.

"Pika-pika … chuuuuu!" one of the creatures shouted as it zapped the other hard, causing the opponent to run away. The victor stood on its hind legs and had a confident grin on its face. Then it disappeared into nearby bushes.

Once the coast was clear, Mewtwo continued his search for his runaway pokémon.

* * *

The blazing sun was almost touching the horizon, its light reflecting in the waves of the ocean. Charles stared into the distance, clearly bothered by some thought.

"Char ..." he said, almost like a sigh.

"There you are!"

Charles turned around with a glare on his face as he clenched his fists.

"Good thing I can sense your mind!" his trainer said, rushing toward where he was. "You can't hide from me!"

Charles began to swing his tail around, still scowling. "Rrrrr … Rrrrrmeleon!"

Mewtwo finally stopped in front of the charmeleon. "Charles, I ..." He had to duck quickly before a flamethrower could hit his face. Then he got back up. "Wait! Look, I'm sorry that the potion hurt you. I didn't know your skin was that sensitive to it."

Charles shook his head rapidly, then pointed at Mewtwo and said, "Char charme charmeleon lee!"

Mewtwo tilted his head. "Uh … what?"

"Char!" his pokémon said while pointing at him again. Then he began to scratch the ground with his sharp claws. "Rmrmrm." After that he slapped the ground with his tail, embers flying off his flame. He pointed at himself. "Charmeleon!" Finally, he simulated fainting before getting back up.

"So, you're saying … it was my fault you lost that match?"

"Charm!"

Mewtwo frowned. "But how was I supposed to know that Onix would use earthquake?"

"Char charmele me leon!" Charles said while simulating the throwing of a poké ball.

"I should have known … because I'm a trainer? Well, yeah, but … I just started today, so give me a break!"

Charles blew a puff of smoke.

"I'm sorry I've let you down, Charles, but we have to find a way to beat Brock's Onix!"

The charmeleon simply yawned and turned his back to his trainer.

"Why are you like this?"

Charles continued to ignore him.

"Hey … You seem a little tired. A visit to the pokémon center might be a good idea," Mewtwo said as he brought out Charles' ball.

"Rrrrmeleon!" A burning hatred could be seen in Charles' eyes as the ball was pointed at him.

"Charles! Return!"

The red beam headed for Charles, but he managed to avoid it by jumping out of its way. Mewtwo tried two more times, but his pokémon dodged successfully.

Charles pointed at Mewtwo. "Char!" Then he pointed at himself. "Charmeleon!" With claws displayed in front of himself, he took a battle stance.

"What's this? You're … challenging me ... to a fight?"

"Rrrrmeleonnn!" Charles said while nodding.

"But … but …" Mewtwo's eyes shifted as he thought up an excuse. "I don't even know how to fight!"

Charles' tail flame turned bluish white and burned intensely.

Mewtwo hugged his own tail. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

The response to his question was a fire blast heading his way. He jumped to the side and the fire struck a rock behind him, blackening it.

 _How am I going to fight him when he has long range attacks?_

Charles kept firing at Mewtwo with fire blasts, hoping to hit him with at least one of them. His trainer needed to come up with a plan before he'd be turned into a crisp by his own pokémon.

"Come on, Charles! Can't we settle this in a peaceful way?"

Another fire blast headed Mewtwo's way. Narrowly missed.

After a few more blasts, Charles felt like his internal fire was no longer as strong. He could only produce a few embers, which he spat at Mewtwo. They weren't causing much damage to his trainer, only a few sore spots on the skin.

"Are you done yet?" Mewtwo said, taking advantage of the moment to catch his breath after all the jumping he had been doing.

Charles was not ready to give up. He spread his claws out and lunged for him. The ones on his left hand managed to land a scratch on Mewtwo's right cheek.

Mewtwo jumped away and put his right hand over the three bleeding scratch marks. "Did you just … Alright. This is getting out of control." He took his backpack off, put it on the ground, and began to walk toward Charles.

"Rrrrmeleonnn!" Charles tried to whack his trainer with his flaming tail, but Mewtwo grabbed it and began to swing him around before letting him go. The charmeleon flew straight into the shallow water.

Mewtwo crossed his arms and waited for Charles to resurface. "Had enough?"

Steam started to come out of the water before Charles jumped out and charged at his opponent with his fist. Mewtwo moved out of the way and Charles' fist struck a rock, leaving a large crack in the spot of the impact.

"You can smash rocks with your fists?!" Mewtwo said, his jaw dropping.

Charles turned around and glared daggers at him.

His trainer smiled. "That might just be how we could defeat–" He received a punch to the gut before he could finish that sentence. Holding his abdomen with both of his arms, he looked back at his pokémon. "You're … serious about this, aren't you?"

"Char. Meleon."

Mewtwo tried his best to ignore the pain he felt from the hit and took a battle stance with his fists to the side. Charles jumped at his trainer and tried to scratch him.

"Why does it have to be this way?" The answer to that question came when he recalled Yan's words about the urge to fight being in pokémon's blood. Officer Jenny had also said that pokémon challenge each other. So that was why those yellow pokémon were fighting in the forest. That was also why … Charles was challenging him.

The sun had almost finished setting and the fighters were still at it. Mewtwo tried to go into the water, hoping that his pokémon would not want to get wet, but that plan didn't go so well when a bunch of fish with horns on their heads poked him in the butt. "Ouch! What are you supposed to be?"

Taking advantage of Mewtwo's distraction, Charles jumped and scratched Mewtwo's left shoulder, then punched him in the jaw.

"Why you little … That does it! I've only been defending myself so far, but it's clear that you won't give up peacefully. You leave me no choice. Attack me again! I dare you!"

As the flame on Charles' tail still burned bluish white, the charmeleon prepared another scratch attack and jumped straight at his trainer's face.

Mewtwo quickly raised his right arm. The moment Charles nearly touched his face, he brought his hand down hard on Charles' back, making the disobedient pokémon drop to the ground in an instant.

"Sorry about that, buddy."

Charles used all his strength to get up again. His tail flame became orange as he panted in a hunched posture. "Char … ch … ar ..."

"You can barely stand. Just stop with this senseless fight!"

The charmeleon tried to charge at his trainer with his claws again, but Mewtwo simply tripped him using his left leg. Charles landed on the ground with his neck outstretched, his jaw resting on the grass. He had no more energy left to fight, so he fell asleep.

Mewtwo gave a sigh of relief and smiled before collapsing next to Charles, exactly in the same position as him. When the sun had finished setting, the sky went black and starry. Mewtwo looked at the shiny white moon that had just risen; it filled him with a sense of ease. Slowly closing his eyes, he was glad to finally get some rest.

▶ **To be continued.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:** **Rocking the Rematch**

The sun started to peek from behind the horizon, scattering sparkles over the water. A pidgey started to sing its name somewhere in the forest nearby, waking Mewtwo from his sleep.

After looking around, the trainer noticed his pokémon was still snoozing next to him. It was the first time he could look at Charles up close and not receive a flame to the face. The resting may have helped them recover from the fight they had that evening, but they still needed to visit a pokémon center to get fully healed.

Mewtwo couldn't enjoy that peace for long, because a familiar buzzing caught his attention. Beedrill. He did not want to mess with those again.

"Chales! Get up! We need to leave."

Charles got up and scratched behind his head with his left hand. "Charm?" His eyes weren't even fully opened and he gave into the sudden urge to yawn.

Mewtwo pushed Charles' back with his hands and grabbed the backpack. "We need to go. Now."

They both got up and started to sneak past the kakuna-infested trees. The buzzing was getting louder, likely a warning aimed at them to stay as far away from the beedrill nest as possible.

A different kind of buzzing made Mewtwo's eyes look at a tree where two beedril were poking with their needles at something that had a lime shell. It seemed like they were trying to remove the creature from the bark that hosted multiple kakuna.

"Just lay low and walk slowly, Charles," Mewtwo whispered as he and his pokémon went into the forest. Then he crooked his back and took calculated steps to avoid stepping on twigs.

Charles followed along, not really up for a morning fight. He was more concerned about the grumbling in his stomach.

The buzzing from the tree with the green shelled creature intensified as one more beedrill joined the other two in trying to remove said creature. When Charles passed by that tree, he received a smack on the head and fell on his belly.

His trainer looked behind himself. "Charles?"

"Rrrrmeleon!"

"Are you okay?"

Charles looked at the thing he was hit with. Getting up, he began to growl at it.

Mewtwo approached him. "What's that?"

Charles was preparing to use fire blast on it. Before he could launch the attack, his trainer grabbed him by the snout and closed his jaws.

"Not so fast, Charles! If you burn it, the beedrill might feel threatened and attack us. Besides, it seems to be another kakuna, so it can't do much harm. It's also wounded and possibly sick, judging by its color."

The charmeleon grumbled something. When Mewtwo released his snout, Charles spread his claws out, preparing to exact his revenge on the green kakuna.

Mewtwo took out the poké ball and said, "Charles, return!" With that, he took Charles away from the list of worries the wounded pokémon had and put the ball back in the bag. "Alright. Now let's get you back to that tree." He grabbed the green kakuna and flinched when he noticed it brought out its stinger through its tail. "Calm down there, little fellow! I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to return you to your family."

The green kakuna shook in his hands, unable to do anything else. It was taken back to the tree it came from and placed at its base.

"There you go," Mewtwo said.

The beedrill flew out of the foliage and pointed their needles at him. He quickly leaped away and hid into a bush, hoping it would be enough to not be followed. To his relief, it worked. They flew back to the tree. But then he heard more loud buzzing. He shoved the bush's leaves out of his sight with his hands and then he noticed what the fuss was all about: the beedrill were rejecting the green kakuna. _Is it because it's sick?_

Within seconds, four beedrill gathered around the wounded kakuna and kept poking it with their needles, moving it away from their tree. The cocoon pokémon had no choice but to harden its shell and take the hits, closing its eyes.

Mewtwo could not bear the sight anymore and jumped out of the bush. "Enough!"

The beedrill stopped their attacks and turned around to look at him.

"That kakuna is one of you! Why are you doing this to it?"

Four more beedrill joined the other ones and prepared to launch an attack aimed at Mewtwo.

He looked at the shivering green kakuna. "I'm sorry I put you back into this mess, little fellow. I'll get you to a safe place this time."

The beedrill flew at him with their needles forward, buzzing aggressively.

Mewtwo ran toward them. Just when he was about to meet their needles, he ducked. The beedrill flew behind him, unable to do a quick turn. Finally having a clear path ahead, Mewtwo went up to the green kakuna, grabbed it, and then leaped away from the tree. The beedrill focused on him again and began to give chase.

* * *

"Thank you for your patience," Nurse Joy said as she handed a tray of poké balls to a young lady. "Your pokémon are fully healed."

The girl took her six poké balls off the tray and said, "Thank you so much! I was worried about my poor Nidoqueen."

The nurse smiled while she closed her eyes. "She's a real fighter, I'll give her that."

"Make waaaaay!" someone screamed from outside.

Nurse Joy and the trainer stared in shock at the door.

Mewtwo burst in, turned around, and slammed the door shut. The four beedrill could not pierce through the double glass, so they ended up nearly flattened on it. After slowly sliding down, they snapped out of their confusion and flew away.

The young lady began to shiver as she stared at the newcomer. "W-what is that? An alien?"

"Um … I don't know what an alien is, but I'm Mewtwo."

The nurse approached him. "Mewtwo? Are you a pokémon?"

Mewtwo tilted his head to the right. "Nurse Joy, we've met before! How come you don't remember that I am a pokémon? We even discussed that I am a pokémon trainer and all ..."

"I haven't met you before. You must have met one of my sisters. Most of us look alike and share the Joy surname, but the crosses on our hats have colors that represent the cities we work in."

"Oh, I see. Your cross is blue and the other nurse had a red one."

"That means you've met my younger sister from Viridian City. But I didn't know that pokémon can talk."

"Well, it's telepathy," Mewtwo said while scratching behind his head with his right hand. "It kind of … allows me to talk without actually making a sound."

The other trainer started to slowly tiptoe away, trying her best not to distract Mewtwo. She felt like she just _had_ to get out of there just in case the strange pokémon would start any trouble at the center. Before anyone could notice her, she went out the door.

"Anyway," Mewtwo began, "I have this wild kakuna in my backpack …" He unzipped the backpack and took out the green pokémon. "He's wounded and appears to be sick."

"Oh, no!" Nurse Joy said as she took the kakuna in her arms. "He has so many scratch marks! What happened to him?"

"Some beedrill threw him off the tree where more kakuna resided. I don't know why."

"I'll have to use a potion on him since he doesn't have a poké ball," the nurse said as she went to grab one of the purple bottles.

"Nurse, I have a question regarding potions."

"Ask away," Nurse Joy said as she sprayed the potion on the kakuna.

"The other nurse sprayed some on me and I simply felt refreshed. It was the greatest feeling in the world for me. But when I've used a potion just like it on my charmeleon, he went nuts. He tried to burn me and then ran away screaming. It seemed like it hurt him. But why?"

"Some pokémon have sensitive skin. Kakuna here seems to enjoy potions."

Indeed, the kakuna felt so refreshed that it went to sleep in the nurse's arms.

Nurse Joy gave the cocoon pokémon back to Mewtwo and said, "There. He's fully healed now."

"But he still looks sick," Mewtwo said, lowering his tail.

The nurse had a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why is he green? The other kakuna weren't like this."

"Oh, he just has a different pigmentation, silly! Some pokémon are born with rare genes that give them unusual colors. That might have been why those beedrill rejected him."

Mewtwo hugged the kakuna. "Poor little guy … How could his own kind throw him away like that?"

"It happens sometimes," the nurse said. "Nature can be cruel when creatures don't fit in. Are you going to capture that kakuna and train him, or are you going to release him?"

"I don't know," Mewtwo said, looking at the snoozing kakuna. "He can't really do much to communicate his opinion on that. I'll carry him around in my backpack until he'll get out of the cocoon." He smiled at the nurse. "Then he'll be free to either join my team or fly away. Or try to skewer me with his needles if he feels like it, heheh!"

"Well, be careful. Beedrill venom can be dangerous, especially to those who are allergic to it."

"I've learned about that from my pokédex already. Anyway, could you heal my charmeleon and use a potion on me too, please? We have to face Brock for a rematch soon."

The nurse smiled at him. "Sure, just give me your pokémon's poké ball. I'll also get a potion for you."

* * *

Brock sat in lotus position, meditating to unwind after a hard morning of preparations for the next challenger who might step foot into his gym. The past few days he had nothing but novice trainers to face, and they all performed terrible when faced with his Onix. He was slightly entertained by that pokémon that thought it could be a trainer of its own kind, but that didn't last. Still, he wished he had the chance to ask said pokémon some questions after the battle. If only the incident with the unruly charmeleon hadn't happened …

"We're back!" a familiar voice said.

Lifting his head, Brock saw Mewtwo and Charles strutting right into his gym. The gym leader barely suppressed a snorted laugh. "Still at it? Even after that defeat?"

Mewtwo smirked. "We've trained a bit." Pointing at Brock, he added, "Now we're here to ask you for a rematch."

Brock stood up on his stone platform and looked down – both literally and figuratively – upon his challenger. "You want a rematch, even though, as you may have realized, pokémon do not obey other pokémon. Our match was a disaster. Your charmeleon knew more about battling than you did. Still, that was not enough to win against Onix, because his so-called trainer chose to use a fire type against a rock-ground type pokémon."

"Hey, we all make mistakes!" Mewtwo said.

Brock sighed. "Apparently, your mistake was to set the goal of becoming a pokémon master."

Charles started to laugh while slapping his knees. Mewtwo shot him a dirty look.

The gym leader grinned. "No, seriously, what have you learned in the meantime? Did you bring any new pokémon with you, or are you still going to use your puny charmeleon in a fight that you'll definitely lose?"

Charles' tail flame turned whitish blue as he wagged it, increasing the temperature around him by a few degrees.

"Well, I do have another pokémon with me," Mewtwo said as he took his backpack off. "It's still wild though."

"Wait," Brock said before Mewtwo could unzip the backpack. "What pokémon is it?"

Mewtwo's eyes shifted. "It's a kakuna."

The gym leader had a stern look on his face. "You brought a wild kakuna in here."

"Yeah?" Mewtwo said in a slightly squeaky telepathic voice while letting his his ears droop and his tail fall to the floor.

"Then don't touch that zipper! I don't want a wild beedrill in my gym!"

"Sorry, I'll keep him in the bag then," Mewtwo said as he put his backpack on.

"So," Brock began, "you're still stuck with a charmeleon in a gym that specializes in pokémon with attacks that do loads of damage to fire types."

Mewtwo clenched his right fist. "Yeah, but we're prepared this time! I have seen the extent of Charles' power, and believe me, I have faith in him."

"But does he have faith in you?"

Mewtwo looked at Charles, who growled at him. "Charles, I know you're not very fond of me. I'm sorry I've let you down last time. Please, work with me just one last time! I know you can do better with what you've learned from our scuffle. We can beat Onix if we use a good strategy, I'm sure of it!"

Charles looked at him with his big blue eyes and then gave a nod.

"Thank you," Mewtwo said. "Well, Brock, how about that rematch?"

The gym leader put his hands in his pockets and said, "I really feel sorry that I'll have to watch your charmeleon get his tail handed to him again, but your stubborness needs to be quelled somehow. I might as well be the one to put an end to this madness before you get in a fight from which your pokémon can never recover."

Charles stepped onto the battlefield and blew a puff of fire out of his mouth. His tail flame still burned bluish white.

"I will use the same two pokémon from last time," Brock said. He threw the first poké ball. "Go, Geodude!"

"Geo!" the creature said as it formed on the battlefield.

Mewtwo pointed at his charmeleon. "Alright, Charles! Scratch Geodude!"

Charles spread his claws out and jumped at the living boulder, giving it one deep scratch across the face.

"Scratch?" Brock said, crossing his arms. "That is a normal type attack. It doesn't deal much damage to rock type pokémon. I thought you have been studying. Geodude! Dig!"

Geodude dug its way under the ground. Charles went paranoid looking around, expecting the opponent to pop up from anywhere at any time.

"Charles! Listen for the rumble! When it gets louder, jump!"

Charles put his head on the ground and heard Geodude's digging. When he was sure Geodude was just beneath his head, he leaped away while the foe burst out of the ground.

Brock smiled. "Now you're using your heads. But will it be enough to avoid the next move?"

Mewtwo waited while wiggling his tail.

The gym leader said, "Geodude! Seismic toss!"

Geodude went straight for Charles and grabbed him by the arms. It then lifted the charmeleon off the ground. Once they were almost near the top of the gym, Geodude and his opponent came crashing down. Charles was thrown head first onto the ground while Geodude remained levitating next to him.

Mewtwo shouted, "Charles! Are you okay?"

Charles got up and shook the dirt off his face. "Char!" he said as he stared at his opponent.

"Charles! Use fire blast!"

Charles blew the star-shaped flame at Geodude, causing the living boulder to get scorched to the point where it could no longer levitate, much less fight.

Brock pointed his poké ball at his pokémon. "Return, Geodude!" Then he brought his second poké ball. "Your charmeleon survived the hit, but that means he will be weaker against Onix. Are you sure you still want to continue?"

"We're in this till the end," Mewtwo said.

"Alright, suit yourself," Brock said with a shrug. "Onix! It's your turn!"

Mewtwo smirked. "This is it, Charles. Let's show Onix what we've been up to!"

"Oooon!" Onix cried out when recognizing his opponent.

Charles growled at it while the air around him began to distort due to the heat his tail emanated.

"I'll let you make the first move," Brock said.

"Okay, let's see … Charles! Start with fire blast! Aim for the head!"

Charles did as instructed and fired at Onix's head. The blast blinded the rock snake for a bit.

"Onix! Use rock polish to increase your speed!" Brock ordered.

Onix began to glow white for a bit as it yelled, "Oooon!" at the ceiling.

"Go behind him, Charles!"

The charmeleon rushed toward Onix's tail.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to make my job easier? Onix! Bind Charles!"

"Oooon!"

"Charles! Jump on Onix's tail and climb its body to get to the head!"

Charles leaped as soon as the tail landed next to him. He got on it and ran on the rock snake's back.

"What is this?!" Brock said. "Onix! Slam Charles off!"

Onix used its tail in an attempt to get the charmeleon off its back, but Charles was too fast and avoided every hit.

Mewtwo grinned. "Charles! Scratch every boulder on your way to the top!"

Charles clawed Onix's back each time the tail missed him.

Brock had to think fast. "Onix! Dig!"

Onix disappeared under ground, leaving a confused Charles on the surface.

"Charles, you know what to do," Mewtwo said.

Charles nodded. "Charm!" When he felt the ground shake, he jumped atop a rock.

As soon as Onix resurfaced, Mewtwo ordered, "Charles! Use your secret weapon!"

Charles lunged for Onix and punched it right in the face, causing bits of rock to fly everywhere.

Brock's jaw dropped. "So … you chose to hit Onix with rock smash. A wise choice."

Mewtwo smirked at him. "I told you we have been training."

The gym leader said, "I admire your progress, but I don't think this will be enough to defeat Onix."

"Come at us with all you've got!" Mewtwo said.

"You asked for it. Onix! Give him all! All the rocks that is!"

Onix slammed its tail into the ground and sent rocks flying everywhere. Three of them hit Charles in the chest, causing his tail flame to increase in size.

Mewtwo shouted, "Hang on, Charles!"

The charmeleon panted while trying to stand his ground. He looked at Onix with a piercing glare while the fire burned stronger than ever within his chest.

"It's time we show you all _we_ got!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Introduce Onix to your boosted fire blast!"

Charles took in a deep breath and then blew the strongest flame he had ever produced. It hit the opponent and left it sizzling. In spite of that, Onix was still standing, although barely managing to carry its own weight.

"Phew! That was a close one!" Brock said. "But it ends here. Onix! Finish him with an earthquake!"

"Oooon!" Onix said as it slammed its tail into the ground, causing the arena to shake.

Charles barely managed to avoid most of the damage by holding on to a big rock's tip. All that shaking still drained his energy to the point where he lost his grip on the rock and fell flat on the ground. He still managed to get back on his feet.

"Your charmeleon withstood that?!" Brock said. "Well, he can barely do anything now. So you might as well call it quits."

"Never!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Use fire blast again!"

Charles spat out another massive flame, but Onix dodged it.

"Onix! Earthquake!" Brock ordered.

Mewtwo gasped. "Charles! Jump!"

Charles did as he was told and avoided the damage of the earthquake's ground-shattering shock wave. When he landed, he stared at the rock snake that towered above him.

"Charles! Fire blast! Now!"

Gathering the last of his strength and taking in a deep breath, Charles fired the blast at Onix's face. His opponent was far too tired to dodge the attack, taking the full hit and falling on its side, its rocky head blackened by the flames. "Oooon ..." it said before it closed its eyes.

Mewtwo stared in awe. "Did we win?"

Brock pointed his poké ball at his pokémon. "Onix … come back." The red ray connected to Onix and brought it back into the ball.

"We won!" Mewtwo said as he went on the battlefield to hug his charmeleon, only to be met with a puff of smoke to the face. He started to cough.

"You may have won, but your charmeleon is still not exactly tamed," Brock said.

Mewtwo wiped the soot off his face. "We'll work on that later."

Brock gave him a gray octagonal stone. "This is the boulder badge. It is proof of your victory here at Pewter Gym."

"Thanks!" Mewtwo said, taking the badge and staring at it.

"Anyway, you seem to be pretty serious about becoming a pokémon master," Brock said. "I'll give you some advice. Unless you have grass or electric type pokémon with you, it's best that you don't challenge the Cerulean Gym just yet. The water type pokémon they use there are strong and numerous. I suggest you capture some more pokémon before going there. As for which gym you should be challenging next, I recommend the Celadon Gym. Not only will you get familiarized with grass types there, but your charmeleon would have a type advantage and would gain a lot of experience."

"Thank you for the advice, Brock. I will do my best to show everyone that even pokémon can train other pokémon."

"I hope you are prepared to face the challenges that come with that goal."

Mewtwo smirked. "Charles and I will face them head on!" Then he heard the sound of snoring. "Uh ..." He looked to the right to see that Charles was taking a nap on the ground. Pointing at the charmeleon, he said, "I better take him to the pokémon center first."

▶ **To be continued.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Rocket on Mount Moon**

Having a great view of the fluffy white clouds over the blue sky, Mewtwo raised his hand and spread its three fingers out. He thought about how cool it would be if he could smear the clouds and make some shapes out of them. Wouldn't a fluffy version of Charles look cute?

The small cloud he focused on seemed to slowly change shape, growing a tentacle from its side and forming something that looked remotely like a charmeleon. Mewtwo's eyes were distracted the moment his hand gained a faint blue glow.

He got the upper half of his body off the grassy plain and shook his hand as if it were on fire. "Aaah! What is this?!" The glow was gone. He looked up to check on the cloud. "Did I …?"

The cloud began to scatter, carried by the wind.

Mewtwo lay back on the ground again. Extending his right hand, he tried to focus on another cloud. _Come on! Change your shape!_

The clouds continued to scatter in the wind, ignoring his order. No glow appeared either. Mewtwo frowned. "Why can't I control it anymore?"

Charles was rolling in the grass, keeping his flaming tail tip off the ground.

Mewtwo looked at him. "Well, at least _you_ seem to be having fun ..."

In the shade of a nearby tree, the green kakuna was taking a nap, its head peeking out of the purple backpack. Its snore was more of a buzz similar to that of beedrill.

A flock of pidgey flew over the plain, making Mewtwo lose his focus once more.

"Not you feathery buggers again!" he said, wiggling his tail from side to side. Looking around, he wondered which way to go next – especially since a few gray clouds were arriving his way. The mountain covered in trees seemed like a perfect place to seek shelter from the rain that might follow.

Bored of rolling around, Charles started to chase his own tail.

"Hey, Charles! It's time to go!" Mewtwo said.

In response, his pokémon blew fire at him, but Mewtwo ducked just in time to avoid the flames.

"Fine then! I'll just take the kakuna and go look for a place to stay tonight. Enjoy the rain."

Charles had a blank stare. "Charm?"

Mewtwo stood up, zipped the backpack, put it on, and then began to walk away. A growling Charles followed him reluctantly.

* * *

In a cave on the mountain, two men dressed in black uniforms with red R letters on their chests were there with another man who had lavender hair and a white uniform with the same red R on its chest. Unlike the first two guys, he didn't wear a cap. They followed a charmander that lit the way for them.

"Alright, noob, you take the left path of the cave and we'll take the right path," the guy in black uniform who had spiky red hair said to the guy in white uniform.

"Take this," the other guy in black uniform said while throwing a flashlight into the newbie's hands. "You'll need it since we're taking Charmander with us."

"Thanks," the lavender-haired guy said.

The redhead took out a grayish, shiny stone and showed it to him. "If you see any of these, no matter how small, grab 'em. Giovanni wants to evolve a bunch of nidorino so he could pick the strongest nidoking."

The guy in white nodded. "I'll be sure to collect them if I see any."

* * *

A few raindrops hit the leaves of a tree. Two seconds later, the drops' number doubled. Then came the full-on downpour.

Mewtwo and Charles rushed into the first cave they could find, panting. Charles shook the water off himself.

"Not exactly the best place to sleep in, but still better than staying in the rain," Mewtwo said as he wiped the mud off his feet onto a rock on the cave's floor. Then he unzipped the backpack and took the kakuna out, leaning it against a wall.

The sun had set, and the rain still continued to pour, but no water got into the cave. Charles found a flat rock half his height and decided it was going to be his bed. He jumped on top of it and curled himself, resting his head on his tail. After that he closed his eyes.

"That seems to be a good idea," Mewtwo said as he looked at his charmeleon. He found a portion of the cave's floor that was slightly concave and curled himself in it in the same manner that Charles did. "Good night, guys!" he said to the two pokémon and went to sleep.

* * *

When the rain stopped, a vaguely star-shaped silhouette appeared at the entrance of the cave. It started to tiptoe inside, approaching the three sleeping pokémon to check them out.

The shadow the creature cast on Mewtwo's face woke him up. "Huh? What is …?" He jumped away the moment he looked into those beady eyes of the being in front of him. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Clefairy?"

Mewtwo calmed down when he realized that the stranger was no bigger than his head. "Oh. You're a pokémon, aren't you?"

"Fairy? Fairy fairy clefairy!" the pink creature with rosy cheeks and a curly tuft of hair on its head said.

"Hold on, I need to consult the pokédex," Mewtwo said as he searched his backpack's pocket. "Got it." He pointed the device at the creature.

The pokédex started analyzing. "Clefairy, the fairy pokémon. Cleffa's first evolved form. Its type is: fairy. This rare pokémon is adored and kept as a pet by people for its cute appearance and playfulness. Clefairy depends on the moonlight to maintain its ability to float in midair. Reports are numerous about clefairy gathering to sing and dance on Mount Moon during full moon nights."

"Interesting," Mewtwo said. "But what's a cleffa?"

"Fairy, clefairy," the clefairy said while comparing its size to an invisible entity.

"I guess you're saying it's a smaller version of you."

The clefairy nodded while saying, "Fai-ry."

"It would be nice to see one. Anyway, were you looking for something?"

"Clefairy-fairy," it said while pointing at a gray rock near Charles.

Mewtwo curled his tail in a question mark shape. "Oh, you want that rock? Is it important?"

The clefairy jumped and glided toward the rock of interest, nabbing it and then skipping away while singing its own name. It wasn't even flapping the small wings above the curly tail on its back.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you taking it?" Receiving no answer, Mewtwo gave chase and left his bag and pokémon behind.

The fairy pokémon skipped through the forest of conifers all the way to another cave. When Mewtwo tried to enter, he heard the clefairy scream.

Inside the cave there were two spotlights and a generator placed by the two guys dressed in black.

"The boss is gonna love this capture," the guy sporting spiky red hair said to the other member of his group. He was holding the clefairy in his arms, barely allowing it to breathe.

"Yeah, these sell for a thousand bucks a piece, heheh!" the other guy dressed in black said while looking at a net full of clefairy on the ground.

Both of the guys went silent the moment they saw the alienlike Mewtwo at the cave's entrance.

"What's going on here?" Mewtwo asked, glaring at them.

"What the houndoom is that?!" the guy holding the clefairy shouted.

Mewtwo pointed at him. "Release that pokémon!"

"W-we uh ..."

"Release it now!" Mewtwo ordered and then let out a loud roar that made the thugs back away.

"I think we should do as he says, Mitch," the other guy said to the one holding the clefairy.

"How pathetic, letting a pokémon order you around like that," a man said from outside the cave.

Mewtwo turned around and saw the guy with lavender hair. The man had a pokéball ready in his right hand.

"Who are you guys?" Mewtwo asked, whipping the air with his tail from side to side.

"We are Team Rocket!" the guy said. "And you are about to belong to us. Koffing! Get out and weaken him!" He threw the poké ball, releasing a purple, smiling ball covered in multiple protrusions and bearing a white skull with crossed bones symbol on its chin.

"You got a lotta' spunk to fight an unknown pokémon, noob," Mitch said to the guy outside the cave.

The guy with lavender hair stepped inside and grinned. "Unknown or not, it's still a pokémon. Koffing! Hit it with sludge!"

"Koffing!" his pokémon said as it spat dark brown sludge at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo jumped to the side, avoiding the stream of muck. "Now you're asking for it!" he said as he ran toward the floating purple ball. Once he was in front of Koffing, he brought his right hand down on the creature's forehead.

Koffing bounced off the ground and then hit a wall, but regained its ability to levitate and stopped itself from bouncing around. The cheerful look on its face did not change at all.

Koffing's master smirked at Mewtwo. "You used brick break. You're a fighting type, I take it?" Seeing the confusion in the feline pokémon's eyes, he added, "Then I have bad news for you: Koffing is of the poison type. Fighting type moves won't do much to save you."

"Damn it!" Mewtwo said, glaring at him and wagging his tail.

"Koffing! Smokescreen!"

Koffing followed his master's instructions and released smoke in front of Mewtwo, concealing itself.

"Now, Koffing! Tackle him!"

Mewtwo expected Koffing to appear in front of him, but instead it attacked from his right side, pushing him into a wall. Once Koffing released him, he fell to the ground. "Man, that hurt!" he said as he got back up.

"Now it's time for the best part," the man said as the smoke cleared away. "Koffing! Poison gas!"

"Koffiiiiiing!" the purple ball cried out as it released multiple jets of dark green smoke from the holes of its body.

Mewtwo took a few steps back. "Now what?" He was caught by the gas and started to cough. There was no way he'd be able to take a breath in that smoke, so he tried to escape. Unfortunately, he got dizzy and fell. When the smoke cleared up, he saw Koffing above him, that large smile still plastered on its face.

The man with lavender hair approached them and said, "Ready to submit to Team Rocket?"

"No way!" Mewtwo said as he shook his head. "I cannot allow you to take away these pokémon."

"What you cannot do now is to escape," the man said as he prepared a poké ball. "Koffing! Knock him out with more poison gas!"

In the last moment, Mewtwo grabbed Koffing with his arms and threw it at its owner. The ball of toxins scattered its gas at Team Rocket, causing the humans to cough. Mewtwo was also caught in the poison cloud, getting a coughing fit as he ran away, tripping over his feet from time to time.

* * *

Charles was still asleep, snoring. Some saliva dripped down his jaw.

"Charles! Are you still in there?" Mewtwo shouted.

The charmeleon woke up, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Meleon?"

"Charles!" Mewtwo said as he entered the cave, panting while barely dragging his feet. "Charles, I need your help. Some humans used a pokémon to attack me. Its attack did something to me. I don't feel well. I can't fight them by myself. They're going to steal all the clefairy if we don't do something soon."

Charles just gave a big yawn and went back to sleep.

"Charles! This is serious!"

The charmeleon didn't pay him any more attention.

"Damn it, Charles!" Mewtwo said, stomping the ground with his right foot. "All I've got left is … kakuna? No, the little guy can't do much in this situation. How am I going to stop Team Rocket?"

"Clefable!" a high-pitched voice said from the cave's entrance.

Mewtwo turned around. "What?"

"Fable! Clefable fable faaable!" It was a pokémon similar to clefairy, only twice as tall, having bigger wings and lacking the rosy cheeks.

Two more joined in and cried out, "Clefaaable!"

"Are you the clefairy's parents?"

One of the large clefairylike pokémon approached him, gained a blue aura around its body, and spread its arms while a sharp chime reverberated through the cave. The same blue aura surrounded Mewtwo's body, giving him a pleasant sensation.

Mewtwo looked at his hands and then at the creatures. "The pain … It stopped. Thank you."

The one in the center became serious. "Fable! Cle-cle-clefable!"

"I don't know what you just said, but I'm guessing it has to do with those clefairy. I'll help you rescue them, I just need to convince Charles here to come with me."

The central big clefairy started chanting, "Clefable!" four times and its eyes began to glow green. Charles got surrounded by an aura of a similar color and got lifted off the ground by an invisible force.

"Char-char-chaaar!" Charles yelled as he struggled in midair.

"Wow! You can lift him with the power of your mind! Could you teach me how to do that?"

"Fable!" the pink pokémon said as it and its buddies charged away.

"Oh, right! We better hurry!" Mewtwo said, putting the kauna in his backpack and taking it along.

* * *

The lavender-haired man held a smaller, more star-shaped version of the clefairy in his arms. It squirmed, yelling, "Cleffa! Cleffaaaa!"

"These little cleffa guys are even cuter than clefairy," he said while playing with the curly tuft on the creature's forehead.

"Yeah, and they ain't got any claws to scratch us with," the Team Rocket member named Mitch said while poking several of the cleffa trapped inside a pen. "I can't wait to get my share of the dough! I'm gonna buy a submarine and travel the deepest parts of the oceans!"

"Guys! You'll never believe what I found!" the third Team Rocket member said as he came from a tunnel in the back. "The moon stone! It's huge! Imagine how many pokémon we could evolve with pieces of it! And we'd still have some left over to sell!"

"That's awesome news!" Mitch said.

"Give the boss a call; we'll need a helicopter to carry something that big."

Mitch brought his phone out. "I'm on it."

"Oh no, you won't!"

The Team Rocket members all stared at the entrance to see who said that. It was Mewtwo, and he had four pokémon with him.

All the cleffa and clefairy began to cheer at the sight of the rescue team.

"You can't just kidnap pokémon and sell them off like they're some objects!" Mewtwo said, gritting his teeth. "They are sentient living creatures like you and me!"

Mitch raised his cap's visor to get a good look at the challenger. "Ha! Don't make me laugh! Ever since the stone age, people have been capturing pokémon and taming them to do their bidding. They have bartered for pokémon and have pitted them against each other for the sake of competition and prizes. You must have been born yesterday to not know this!"

Mewtwo tilted his head. "Well, actually, I was born the day before yesterday ..."

"Enough chitchat! Hey, noob! Give me a hand here," Mitch said as he brought out a poké ball.

"I've challenged this monster first and won, and you still call me a noob!" the lavender-haired guy said as he put the cleffa in the pen.

Mitch glared at him. "I'm still the oldest member of this team, so do as I say!"

"Eugh, fine! Koffing! It's time for round two!"

After the guy with lavender hair sent his pokémon out, Mitch prepared his own. "Golbat! Go and get 'em!"

A blue creature with purple wings and a gaping mouth with four sharp teeth in it came out of the poké ball. "Golbat!"

The three big clefairylike creatures defended Mewtwo by standing in front of him. "Clefaaaaable!"

"Look at this!" Mitch said and then smirked. "The monster from outer space brought some clefable with him this time."

"Hey! I'm not from outer space! I was on this planet from the moment I woke up!" Mewtwo said, whipping the air with his tail.

"Those clefable will be worth tens of thousands of poké dollars each, but whatever you are, you'll be the boss' prized trophy! Golbat! Supersonic!"

Golbat started making a sharp noise that annoyed Mewtwo and his allies. Two of the clefable started to stumble around, struggling to stand on their feet. Charles held his hands over his ears, the sound giving him a headache.

"Nice work, Golbat!" Mitch said.

"Koffing! Sludge them!" the lavender-haired guy ordered.

Koffing spat the sludge at the clefable, poisoning the two who were too confused to dodge.

The middle clefable's body started to glow blue as it spread its arms, causing the bell sound to go off again. The other two clefable were enveloped in a similar aura. They recovered and were ready to give support from the sides.

Mitch's jaw dropped. "What?! It knows how to perform heal bell?"

"Clefable!" the middle clefable yelled as it approached Golbat and Koffing.

The other two snapped out of their confusion and followed. When their leader raised its arms in front of its mouth, they did the same.

"What are they doing?" the lavender-haired man asked.

Pink orbs of light formed between the clefable's hands.

"Is that moonblast?" Mitch asked while grabbing and raising his cap's visor. "Yeah, it's moonblast." He lowered the visor back.

The clefable launched the orbs at Koffing and Golbat, knocking them away.

Mitch grinned. "Fairy type attacks won't do you any good. You're facing poison types here, pixies!"

"This will be easy," the man with lavender hair said. "Koffing! Poison gas!"

The clefable got caught in the toxic smoke and started to cough violently, ending up unable to stand.

Mewtwo covered his nose and turned to the side to face his charmeleon. "Alright, Charles, this is where you come in!"

Charles nodded and then dug his way into the ground while the smoke was still blocking Team Rocket's view.

"Hang on, guys!" Mewtwo said to the weakened clefable.

"Golbat! Use air cutter to remove the smoke!" Mitch ordered.

Golbat cleared the air by flapping its wings with all of its strength.

"Three down, one to go," the lavender-haired man said. "Koffing! Throw some sludge at the big one!"

"Koffing!" his pokémon said while spewing sludge at Mewtwo, who avoided the attack.

"Charles! Now!"

On Mewtwo's order, Charles burst out from the ground underneath Koffing and Golbat, but could not reach them.

"What did you expect to accomplish by using a ground type move against pokémon that can hover?" Mitch asked, holding his arms crossed.

Charles took in a deep breath and used fire blast to send Koffing and Golbat straight into the cave's wall.

Snapping out of astonishment, Mitch said, "Alright, I will give you credit for using a surprise attack, but this fight ain't over yet!"

The three clefable managed to get up. Their leader used heal bell again and then said, "Fable clefa clefafable!"

"You guys should stay out of this; you're hurt!" Mewtwo said.

The clefable's bodies became surrounded by a bright white aura that healed them.

"Golbat! Confuse them with supersonic again!" Mitch ordered.

The clefable's eyes started to glow green as they united their forces to take control over Koffing. Then they used Koffing's body to whack Golbat, sending the two pokémon flying into the three Team Rocket members.

Mewtwo pointed at the thugs. "Charles! Scare them away with your flamethrower!"

Charles was more than happy to roast the Team Rocket grunts, forcing them to leave the cave in a hurry. Their Koffing and Golbat followed them.

The three clefable and Mewtwo released the cleffa and clefairy from the pen and net respectively.

"These humans …" Mewtwo said. "They have no respect for pokémon at all. They weren't challenged to a fight, they just showed up to capture and sell these clefairy."

"Clefable ..." a clefable said, looking sad.

"Well, not all humans are like that. I've met a few who treat pokémon like allies or even friends. I just wish all humans were nice."

A clefairy walked up to Mewtwo and said, "Fairy! Fairy fai-fairy clefairy!" while pointing at the back of the cave.

"You want me to follow you?"

The clefairy nodded and then led the way. Mewtwo followed it and reached the place where moonlight shone onto a giant livid colored rock. All the clefairy gathered around it and put smaller pieces of stone around it. A blue aura surrounded the giant rock and all the pieces next to it.

"So this is the moon stone those thieves were talking about," Mewtwo said. "But what does it do?"

The clefairy started to jump and dance around the moon stone while singing their names. Five of the ten clefairy grabbed some moon stone shards and started to glow white. They grew in size, becoming clefable. Then they put the cleffa near the stone and joined in to dance along with the cleffa and clefairy, singing their own names. All the cleffa started to glow and then evolved into clefairy, gaining the ability to glide while skipping.

Mewtwo and Charles watched in silence and wonder as the moon festival continued to unfold before their eyes for the rest of the night, while the bright full moon passed over them.

▶ **To be continued.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Greenhouse Effect**

At a forked road, Mewtwo was faced with two options: take the left path to Cerulean City, or the right one to Celadon City.

"You've heard what Brock advised us, Charles. We should go for Celadon first."

"Chaar!" Charles said while blowing flames everywhere. Then he sat on the ground, closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and held his snout up. "Meleon charm."

Mewtwo frowned. "I don't have any electric or grass types, so I'd rather not head to the Cerulean Gym yet. It took us two tries to beat a gym that only had _two_ pokémon that were strong against fire. I think it would be wise to at least train a bit more if we can't find any pokémon that can beat water types."

Charles growled while glaring at him.

"Come on, Charles! A few quick victories at Celadon Gym won't hurt."

The charmeleon just lay on the ground, on his right side, refusing to budge while keeping his eyes closed. Mewtwo recalled him into the poké ball and headed for Celadon City.

* * *

Celadon seemed vast compared to Pewter, Viridian, and Pallet. It was the first time Mewtwo saw such tall buildings that he could compare to small mountains. A particular building covered in purple and yellow neon signs caught his eye. He approached it and read the glowing orange text above the entrance. "Rocket Game Corner. The playground for grown-ups!"

Some people inside the building were busy using various noisy machines that had spinning wheels on their front. Other people in there were sitting at tables in an area labeled Card Flip, flipping various pieces of colorful cardboard. That was why they paid no attention to the bipedal pokémon that entered the room.

Mewtwo looked around. "What is everyone doing here?"

Two men dressed in black with the red Rs on their chests heard his telepathic message and looked straight at him. One of them said, "Look at that!" while he pointed at the anthropomorphic feline pokémon.

"I've never seen anything like it before!" the other guy said.

"And it can talk too!"

"It's not moving its mouth. I think it's using psychic powers to do it."

Mewtwo was checking out the noisy machine. There was red text above the three wheels on it. "Slot machine? What does it do?"

The two identical, long-haired, blond guys using the slot machines next to him backed away, not wanting to deal with such a strange pokémon.

Mewtwo shrugged and turned around. He saw two people at a counter in the back of the room. One of them was paying for something with some yellow plastic coins. Mewtwo listened in on the conversation between the seller and the buyer.

"One dratini, please!" the buyer, an old mustached man in a gray suit, said.

"It will be 2800 coins," the seller, a man in black tuxedo, told him.

The buyer put the plastic coins on the counter. "I've got them. I've been playing all night here. Totally worth it for a dratini."

"Here you are, sir," the seller said as he brought a blue poké ball to the buyer.

"May I see the dratini first?" the old man requested.

"Sure. Dratini! Come out!"

The blue, snakelike dratini came out of its poké ball and coiled itself on the counter. "Tiniii!"

"Oh, it looks so adorable! It shall live in my mansion's heated pool, and will have the best pokémon food money could buy!" the old man said while taking the dratini and its poké ball with him. He then left the game corner.

Mewtwo's mouth remained open. He could not believe it. People were still selling pokémon in contemporary times, and for pieces of plastic earned from wasting time and actual money in useless activities no less. He walked up to the counter and slammed his hands on it. "What is the meaning of this?"

The seller flinched away, not understanding what kind of pokémon he was looking at.

Mewtwo began to wag his tail. "Why are you selling pokémon like they are mere objects?"

The man pressed his back to a wall after he tried to distance himself from the angry pokémon. "I-I don't know! I'm just doing my job! I ..."

"How did you capture these pokémon?"

"I didn't! Team Rocket did!"

"Team Rocket! I should have known," Mewtwo said. Looking to his left, he spotted the two guys wearing the familiar uniforms. "You've made quite a business out of selling pokémon. It is time I put an end to your disrespect for these creatures." He grabbed the poké ball from his backpack and said, "Charles! I choose you!"

Charles materialized, looked around, and then blew fire at a potted palm tree to his left.

Everyone including Mewtwo just stared at the scene, confused, while smoke came out of the charred plant.

"Uh … That's not your opponent, Charles," Mewtwo said.

Charles blew a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

"A pokémon training another pokémon? This is getting ridiculous," one of the men in black said.

"Let's fight them and capture the big one!" the other guy in black said.

"You're ours now, whatever you are! Go, Machoke!" The Team Rocket grunt threw a poké ball and a humanoid, very muscular creature with three crests on its head and a golden belt on its waist came out.

The other grunt threw his own poké ball and said, "Go, Chad!" Another pokémon like the first one appeared out of the ball. The only difference from the other one was that Chad wore dark glasses.

"Let's see what we're up against," Mewtwo said as he brought out his pokédex.

The device stated, "Machoke, the superpower pokémon. The first evolved form of machop. Its type is: fighting. This pokémon's muscles are tough as steel, and allow it to lift a dump truck with one hand. Machoke will gladly help people out with lifting heavy cargo. It wears a belt that regulates its movements. Should this belt be removed–"

"They're already charging, I don't have time for this!" Mewtwo said as he put the device back. "Well, I'm not sure how well Charles can deal with fighting types, but let's find out! Charles! Fire blast!"

Charles took in a deep breath and blew the fire toward the two machoke. The fighting types took the hit, but remained standing and willing to battle on.

The blond twins whipped out their guitars from the cases they carried on their backs and started playing an energetic heavy metal tune as the pokémon battled.

"Chad, use dynamic punch!" the Team Rocket grunt ordered.

The machoke's right fist started to glow blue as it prepared to swing it. Charles avoided the hit, Chad ending up punching the floor and leaving a mark where its fist hit.

The other grunt said, "Machoke! Cross chop!"

Charles managed to avoid the white glowing crossed arms of the machoke by leaping away, but then bumped into Chad's legs. He turned around and saw the smug muscular pokémon.

The Team Rocket grunt could not let this opportunity slip. "Chad! Dynamic punch!"

Charles received a blue glowing fist straight in the face. The punch was so hard he started seeing stars for a few seconds, which was all it took for the other machoke to get close to him.

"Machoke! Low kick!"

The other grunt's machoke tripped Charles, making him fall.

"Get up, Charles!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles was still seeing stars, but he became slightly aware of the two machoke next to him.

"Chad! Another dynamic punch and he's out!" the grunt said.

"Charles! Run toward me! Now!"

The charmeleon followed Mewtwo's voice while waiting for the stars to disappear so he could see properly again. He ran sideways, barely keeping his balance on his feet.

"They're coming after you! Turn around and use another fire blast!" Mewtwo said while the guitarist twins played even faster.

Charles followed orders, hitting the two machoke with a boosted fire blast thanks to his blaze ability.

"Chad! Low sweep!" the grunt ordered.

His machoke tried to kick Charles in the gut, but Charles planned his surprise strike: he used his claws and managed to cut the belt off Chad.

The guitarists stopped playing.

"You just removed Chad's power limiter!" the Team Rocket grunt said. "Chad! Steamroll him with all you've got! Dynamic punch, now!"

"Machoke!" his pokémon said with a nod. Then it ran toward the charmeleon with its fist glowing blue.

"Charles! Watch out!" Mewtwo yelled.

Charles jumped out of the way, making Chad punch one of the slot machines due to being unable to stop rushing. When the machoke tried to pull its hand away, the machine came with its fist. Chad swung it at Charles, missing him and hitting the other machoke.

The two guitarists started playing a cheerful tune fitting for a comedy while Chad tried to attack Charles again and ended up punching the other machoke. Every move Chad did was so uncoordinated that four more slot machines got turned into scrap metal, a table had been split in half, the other machoke got knocked unconscious, and Chad's trainer got accidentally kicked to the floor by his own pokémon. The charred palm tree's pot was not spared by the kicking either, now a cracked mess with spilled soil.

"Let's end this chaos!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Fire blast!"

Charles spat a fire blast at Chad, finally incapacitating the confused machoke. The grunts recalled their pokémon and ran away while the guitarists played the powerful final note, bowed, and left.

Mewtwo pointed at the pokémon seller. "You! Put all the poké balls on the table!"

The seller complied, taking the balls out of a bag with his shaking hands and putting them on the counter. Then he ran away.

Officer Jenny burst into the building, still riding her motorcycle. She got off her ride and approached Mewtwo. "So, this is what they have been doing! They've been keeping me distracted this whole time while they were turning the place into a casino and trafficked rare pokémon!"

"What will become of these pokémon now that they're no longer in the hands of these jerks?" Mewtwo asked.

"I will take them to a shelter where we can determine which are best returned to the wild and which are to be reassigned to competent trainers," the officer said as she pressed the buttons on the poké balls and shrunk them. Then she took them and put them in her pockets. "Nice work defeating those criminals, um … What is your name?"

"It's Mewtwo. That's … what my creators named me." _Either this is a different Officer Jenny, or she has somehow lost her memories of when we've first met._

Officer Jenny stared at him for a second. "Creators? Are you an artificial pokémon like porygon?"

"I don't know what porygon is. I have no idea what else those people have created, but when I woke up, the whole place had been wrecked, and there was no one but Charles and me."

"Does Professor Oak know of your existence?"

"Yes, he registered my pokédex and told me to find Sabrina so I could learn to control my powers. Do you know where I could find Saffron City?"

"Whenever you visit a pokémon center," the officer said, "look for the interactive map on the wall. You can find your way around Kanto and other regions easily that way."

"Thank you," Mewtwo said. "I'll check it out while I take Charles there. We're preparing for a fight at Celadon Gym."

Officer Jenny smiled. "This is the first time I've heard of a pokémon training another pokémon. But you and your charmeleon seem to be handling even more difficult matters than mere gym battles, so I think you'll do just fine in this city's gym."

Mewtwo smirked and held his fist in front of his chest. "We most certainly will! Charles and I are all fired up!" Hearing snores, he looked to his right and saw that his charmeleon was taking a nap. "Well, at least _I'm_ fired up ..."

* * *

Mitch and the guy with lavender hair stood before their boss, who sat at his desk.

"A talking pokémon that looks like a mix between a feline and a human, you say … Sounds like a mutated alakazam," the boss said.

"I doubt it is an alakazam, sir," Mitch said. "It looked like a completely different species. And get this: it trains other pokémon!"

Before the boss could say anything, the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up. "Yeah?" After listening for a few seconds, he said, "Wait, did it walk on two legs and have three fingers?" He listened some more, and then added, "It might be the same pokémon my other agents have encountered last night. Alright, thank you." He hung up. "Mitchwell, I have a new assignment for you."

"I'm listening, sir!"

"Actually," the boss said, "I need to request something from my scientists first. Once I have the package, I will hand it over to you and let you in on the plan. Until then, you're free to do whatever you want."

"Does the plan include me as well?" the lavender-haired man asked.

The boss scowled at him. "No. I want Mitchwell to deal with this. You are not suited for such fieldwork. Now get out of my office, both of you! I have an important call to make!"

They saluted and said, "Yes, sir!" in unison, then left the room.

* * *

Coming out of the pokémon center, Mewtwo looked at his charmeleon, who was stretching out. "Now that we're fully healed, we can continue our search for the Celadon Gym."

It didn't take long before they found the round building with the roof in the shape of a brown flower with white spots. It looked exactly like on the map.

"Well, Charles, this is it! Time to show them what you're capable of!"

Charles yawned. The idea of simply cutting – or rather burning – through the competition did not sound like fun at all to him. He wanted a challenge where he could give it all.

They went inside and were greeted by a variety of pleasant smells, likely coming from the vibrantly colored flowers in the gym. The place looked like a small jungle to Mewtwo.

Three young ladies came to check out who their new visitor was. One had dark magenta flowing hair, one was blonde and had a braid, and one had green hair styled in pigtails. All three gasped when they realized there was a pokémon almost as tall as them with no trainer in sight.

"What happened, girls?" a blue-haired young woman dressed in a green, leaf-themed kimono asked.

"A pokémon is here to challenge the gym," the one with the green hair said.

"Hi! I'm Mewtwo!" he said, waving at the kimono lady.

"A trainerless pokémon wants to challenge me?! Get real!" she said.

Mewtwo's tail began to wag as he scowled. "Hey! I don't need a trainer! I _am_ a trainer!"

The gym leader gave him an equally unpleasant stare. "I only take challenges from humans! What's next? A challenge from a rattata?"

"But Erika," the girl with green hair began, "the league rules say you have to accept any challenge. It does not say that pokémon are not allowed to be challengers."

Erika looked at the floor. "Well … I suppose I have no choice but to accept, even if it sounds crazy. You're lucky the league left a loophole for you to exploit. You'd be out the door otherwise."

"Thank you for accepting," Mewtwo said.

* * *

The lamps on the ceiling of the battlefield lit up. The floor was made entirely out of flattened brown soil with a few rocks here and there while the sides of the arena had trees and grass. Mewtwo could only deduce it was to allow various types of pokémon to use their complex attacks such as dig or rock throw.

"I will use three pokémon," Erika said. "Starting with … Tangela!" She threw the poké ball and out came a mass of tangled blue vines that covered a black, spherical body which had two red feet.

"Charles! Step up and let's show Erika what we can do!"

Charles was too busy scratching his neck with his right foot. The tiny plant-eating parasites that jumped on him regretted their decision.

Mewtwo frowned. "Come on, Charles!"

"This is pathetic," Erika said. "You call yourself a trainer, yet your pokémon does not see you as one."

Ordering wasn't working, so Mewtwo decided to go with a different plan. "Charles, are you just going to let yourself lose to a plant? And I thought your species had pride ..."

"Chaaar!" Charles said, visibly riled by his trainer's words. He stepped onto the battlefield, locked eyes with Tangela, and began to growl. His flame turned bluish white and the heat around him rose.

"A weird way of making your pokémon fight," Erika said, "but now that the battle can begin … Tangela! Constrict!"

Tangela brought out four blue vines and sent them toward Charles.

The charmeleon calmly inhaled and then used flamethrower on Tangela, knocking it unconscious before it knew what just happened.

Erika brought out her poké ball. "Tangela! Return!"

Charles kept blowing flames toward the ceiling, celebrating his victory. Suddenly, his body began to glow bright white. As he grew in height, a pair of wings unfolded from his back, and his tail became much longer. The horn on the back of his head split in two. When the glow faded away, Charles revealed his new look: he had orange skin still decorated by his crimson markings, his neck was longer, his back had large wings with a green underside, and his belly had a cream color. He was three heads taller than Mewtwo.

"It evolved into charizard," Erika said. "Well, this complicates things a bit, but I'm not letting you win that easily!" She brought out her next poké ball and threw it. "Go, Bellsprout!"

A sentient plant with a yellow bell head, black beady eyes, leaves for arms, and roots for legs came out of the ball. "Bell!"

"Bellsprout! Acid!" Erika ordered.

Bellsprout spat a ball of dark purple liquid that hit Charles in the face.

Charles started blowing flames everywhere, blindly trying to hit the bellsprout that kept jumping all over the place in order to dodge.

Once Bellsprout got behind Charles, its body started to glow white.

"Your pokémon isn't the only one that was close to evolving," Erika said.

Bellsprout changed its shape and became just a head with two leaves for ears. The tip of its head kept the remains of the stalk its pre-evolution had. Its beady eyes became larger and gained a white sclera and its forehead displayed three green spots.

Erika smiled. "Now I have a weepinbell!"

Charles got all the acid off his face and growled at his opponent.

"Charles! Use fire blast!" Mewtwo ordered.

Now blinded by rage instead of acid, Charles ran toward the weepinbell and started to slap the foe with his powerful wings. Their edges left cuts on Weepinbell's head and made the plant pokémon unable to use any attack. Once Charles stopped attacking with his wings, Weepinbell dropped on the ground, its will to fight becoming nonexistent.

"I'd say great job, but you did not follow my orders again," Mewtwo said. Then his eyes widened when he realized Charles was not going to stop at simply incapacitating his opponent. "Wait! What are you doing? You've already won this round! Stop!"

Charles was taking in a deep breath, his mouth aimed at the quivering plant pokémon.

"Weepinbell! Return!" Erika shouted while using her poké ball to recall her pokémon. She succeeded before Charles' flames scorched the ground where Weepinbell used to be.

"Charles! You're using more force than needed!" Mewtwo said.

Charles blew some embers at him and then started to breathe fire toward the ceiling again, this time spreading his wings out as well and stomping the ground with his feet, causing a small earthquake.

"Your charizard is acting like a wild beast! It's like you have not trained it at all!" Erika said.

"Lately he was following my orders pretty well, so I thought he had finally gained some respect for me," Mewtwo said. Then he jumped out of the way of Charles' tail and shook his fist at him. "Hey! What's the big idea with trying to whip me?!"

Charles spread his wings out and then started to flap them. In doing so, he caused strong currents around him that shook the leaves of the trees. He was ready to test his new limbs, so he jumped and tried to fly toward the ceiling. Much to his disappointment, his weight pulled him down, and he crashed on his back, shaking the ground. "Zard ..." was all that he could say, possibly a swear word.

"That … is also pathetic," Erika said. "Anyway, this is my last pokémon, and it's my best one. Go, Gloom!"

A blue creature with four stubby limbs appeared out of the ball Erika threw. It had some orange leaves and a brown, white-spotted flower on its head. Mewtwo realized the flower looked exactly like the one atop the gym. _Erika must really love her Gloom._

Charles got back up and stared down at Gloom. The creature could barely pass his knees in height. One flamethrower and the match would be over instantly. He wasn't going to waste his time with such a weakling, so he stuck his nose up and whipped Gloom with his tail, sending it flying into a tree. Then he smelled the yellow dust in the air and flinched. The stench was so horrible he began to hold his snout with his claws.

After Gloom got out of the tree, Erika said, "Gloom! Sleep powder!"

Charles had just released his snout and inhaled deeply to recover from the short period of holding his breath. The indigo spores that Gloom released went straight into Charles' mouth. After three seconds, Charles began to lose his balance. Two more seconds later he ended up falling like a cut tree, raising the dust and shaking the ground upon landing.

Mewtwo's mouth remained open. "It put him to sleep?!"

"Yes," Erika said. "Now he's at our mercy. And since I don't want to see pokémon get hurt while they're vulnerable, I'm going to give you the chance to switch him out now. Do you have any other pokémon you could battle us with?"

"I ..." Mewtwo began, but then he noticed that something was going on in his backpack. He took it off, unzipped it, and took the kakuna out. The creature was thrashing about and buzzing. "What is it, little fellow?"

The kakuna's back started to crack, and a bright white light shone from the opening. Then the pokémon came out of its shell as a green beedrill with blue eyes.

"You're so beautiful!" Mewtwo said.

"You have a beedrill ..." Erika said, looking a bit worried. A bug-poison type meant bad news for her Gloom.

Mewtwo smiled at the beedrill. "Just in the nick of time! Could you help me win this battle, please?"

The beedrill spread its wings out and took off … toward the door that opened itself automatically for it. The bug pokémon simply left the gym.

"Well, that leaves me with only one pokémon, and he's asleep," Mewtwo said while face-palming.

"You could recall Charles now and leave the match, or we could continue and he will take the hits while being unable to defend himself."

"No way, Erika! Charles isn't going to lose to that little thing! Come on, Charles! Wake up!"

Charles continued to snore, oblivious to his trainer's shouting.

Erika ordered, "Gloom! Acid!"

Gloom spat a ball of acid at Charles' chest. The purple liquid started to sizzle on the charizard's skin, causing him to growl and struggle while still unable to wake up.

"Still not giving up?" Erika asked.

"Charles! Wake up!" Mewtwo shouted.

Charles stopped struggling, and continued to snore.

"Gloom! Acid again!" Erika ordered.

Once again, Charles received a spit of acid, this time to his neck. He started to struggle again, growling and whipping the ground with his tail. Yet the sleep powder continued to keep him nearly unconscious.

"I will tell you again: recall your charizard before he gets seriously hurt," Erika said.

Mewtwo was contemplating sparing Charles the pain, but then he remembered that the first thing Charles did after evolving was to whip him with his tail. Maybe his pokémon needed to learn the hard way to listen to his trainer's orders. "I'm not recalling him until this battle has a clear winner! Charles! Open your eyes already, or else you'll lose to a tiny plant!"

Charles heard him, but could not break free from the sleep effect. His eyes remained shut and his body was not responding to his mind's orders.

Erika sighed. She had no choice but to prove to the stubborn trainer how bad things can get. "Gloom! Petal dance!"

Gloom smiled and started to dance on the tips of its feet. Then it stopped and bowed while releasing a vortex of pink flower petals out of the center of its flower. The petals not only left Charles with cuts on his skin, but also sent him rolling on the ground until he hit a tree behind his trainer.

Erika was glaring at Mewtwo. "A good trainer doesn't let his or her pokémon get this hurt. But why should I expect you to know that? You're a pokémon who has never had a trainer and thinks it can train its own kind."

Mewtwo used the poké ball and said, "Charles, return!" Once his pokémon was recalled, he put the ball in the bag and left the gym, keeping his head lowered while dragging his tail on the ground.

▶ **To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Blazing Typhoon**

Charles' poké ball rested in one of the six slots of the healing machine in the pokémon center while Mewtwo discussed with the nurse at the counter.

"What are you going to do now?" Nurse Joy asked.

Mewtwo looked at the poké ball and then back at her. "I'm not sure. I thought Charles was finally going to follow my instructions, but as soon as he evolved into charizard he became rebellious again."

"When a pokémon evolves, its mind has to get used to its new body," the nurse said. "Your charizard has rapidly gained great power, but was not ready for it. You weren't prepared to take control of the situation either."

"I suppose that's true," Mewtwo said, frowning. "How do humans make pokémon respect them? I just don't understand! Even Team Rocket could control theirs!"

She gave him Charles' poké ball back. "Everyone has their own training methods. You are the first known pokémon to train another pokémon, so I am not sure what would work for you."

Mewtwo stared at the ball for a moment. "Maybe I … should just give up. If Charles can't even defeat grass types – which he was supposed to be strong against – then we don't stand a chance to get to the Indigo Plateau."

The poké ball's button started to glow red. Charles came out and materialized right next to his trainer. "Chariiiizard!"

Mewtwo stared up at Charles, feeling somewhat unnerved that his pokémon was now taller than him.

"Rizaaaard!" That roar sure sounded like Charles was angry.

"Charles, listen, I think we're just not cut out for battles ..."

Charles swung his tail and slapped Mewtwo's right shoulder with it. Then he pointed at him and said, "Char, zard rizard!"

"I don't know what that means," Mewtwo said while rubbing his shoulder, "but if in every battle you're just going to disobey me, we're not going to win. So it's not worth it."

Charles released a puff of smoke through his nostrils, then slapped Mewtwo's back with his tail, getting him out of his way. "Rizaaaard!" He was about to walk through the exit.

Mewtwo stopped him by putting his hand in front of Charles' chest. "You can't challenge the gym by yourself! You need me to communicate with the gym leader!"

Charles glared down at him while emitting a muffled growl. So he needed Mewtwo … No problem. He reached out with his hand's claws and grabbed his trainer by the tube from the back of his neck, then simply dragged him away as Nurse Joy watched in awe.

* * *

"Can you believe it?" Erika said to the green-haired girl of her crew. "That pokémon thought he could actually be a trainer. I pity his charizard."

"That fight ended up being rougher than the usual ones we've seen here, but … there are inexperienced trainers even among humans. Remember that guy who used his squirtle against Tangela?"

Erika scowled. "At least his squirtle actually followed his orders."

"Yeah, but if we humans make mistakes, then why do we expect a pokémon to be perfect to qualify as a trainer?"

"I don't ask for perfection!" Erika said. "I only ask that anyone who claims to be a trainer empathize with their pokémon."

The door to the gym opened suddenly. Charles passed through, dragging Mewtwo along.

"Charles! Everyone out there is laughing at us ..." Mewtwo said, at that point wanting to stick his head into the ground.

"Just what do you two think you're doing?" Erika asked while glaring at the charizard and his trainer.

"Rizard!" Charles growled before pushing Mewtwo forward.

"Hello again," Mewtwo said, forcing a grin on his face. "It appears Charles wants a rematch. Please don't look at me like that; it was his idea!"

"Can this get any more ridiculous?" Erika asked, putting her hands on her hips. "First you let your defenseless pokémon get attacked, and now you get ordered around by him. I can't take you seriously anymore, so I decline your request for a rematch."

Charles started roaring and blowing streams of flames toward the gym's ceiling.

"Stop him before he sets the place on fire!" Erika shouted.

"Erika, the league rules say that you must accept one rematch from every trainer who did not manage to win against you the first time," the green-haired girl said.

"Damn the league rules!" Erika said. "Alright, I'll give you a rematch. But win or lose, you are obligated to get out of my gym afterwards."

"We'll be out of your hair once the battle is over," Mewtwo told her. "I promise."

"Then let's take this to the arena."

As soon as Erika turned around and began to lead the way, Charles grabbed Mewtwo by the tube again and dragged him to destination. Mewtwo crossed his arms and scowled. "I feel like a freaking cup."

Once all three of them were in the battle room, Charles released Mewtwo and pointed at him. "Zard!" Then he walked onto the battlefield.

"So, you will start with your charizard again?" Erika asked.

Mewtwo nodded. "Yeah … Like I have a choice."

"Let's get this over with," Erika said, bringing out one of her poké balls. "Tangela! I choose you!"

Tangela came out of the ball and was faced with this tall, draconian, winged foe that stared down at it. "Tang!"

Charles closed his eyes and grinned smugly as he swung his tail at his opponent, sending it flying into a tree's trunk. It was a one-hit knockout.

"Tangela! Return!" Erika said.

"Charles! I didn't even give you the order to attack!" Mewtwo said.

Charles yawned.

Erika brought out her next ball. "Hmph! You still cannot control your charizard. Go, Weepinbell!"

"Bell bell!" Weepinbell yelled as it came out.

Charles took one look at Weepinbell and stuck his nose up.

"Weepinbell! Use acid!"

On Erika's command, Weepinbell spat the purple liquid at Charles, who defended himself against it with his tail.

"Charles! Use flamethrower!" Mewtwo ordered while pointing at the weepinbell.

Charles rubbed his tail in the area where the damage had been done, then glared at his opponent. He let go of his tail and spread his wings out. "Zaaaar!" His wings began to glow white.

Weepinbell's eyes went wide as it received a slap from a wing edge so sharp it left a bleeding green stripe across its face. "Weeeeeep!"

"That wasn't flamethrower ..." Mewtwo said.

Charles couldn't wait any longer for the final ball to be thrown, so he turned around and swung his tail hard at the weepinbell, sending it flying straight into Erika's arms.

"Weepinbell! Return!" Erika said, recalling the pokémon into its ball. "Mewtwo … you still haven't learned your lesson. And neither has your charizard. Gloom! Let's show these two how it's done!"

"Gloom gloom!" her floral pokémon yelled as it came out of the poké ball she threw.

Charles locked eyes with Gloom and started to growl. This was his chance to take that revenge he wanted.

"Gloom! Sleep powder!"

Gloom listened to its owner and released the sparkling blue spores into the air.

Charles spread his wings out and began to flap them as fast as he could, causing the powder to fly back toward Gloom and Erika – the latter holding her breath to not ingest the spores.

"That's some quick thinking right there, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "But you could have just–"

Before Mewtwo could finish what he had to say, Charles breathed out a powerful flamethrower jet that gave Gloom no time to react. The battle was over in an instant, with a darkened Gloom smelling like burnt grass.

"Okay, okay! You win!" Erika said as she held the poké ball out, shaking. "Gloom! Return!"

Charles would have prepared another flamethrower attack, but once the target had been recalled he just burped out a flame the size of a basketball. Then he grinned with pride.

"Here! Take it!" Erika said, throwing to Mewtwo a flower-shaped piece of metal that had all seven colors of the rainbow and a silver center.

Mewtwo caught the item and stared at it as it lay in his palms. "Is this a badge?"

Erika scowled at him. "Yes. It's the rainbow badge. Take it and leave before your charizard sets this place on fire!" She pointed at Charles, who was blowing flames toward the ceiling again.

Mewtwo looked at his pokémon and then at her. "Alright. We're out of here." He walked up to his charizard and put the rainbow badge in Charles' left hand. "You take it. I wasn't even taken into account as your trainer in this match."

Seeing that Mewtwo turned his back on him and began to leave, Charles caught up to him, unzipped Mewtwo's bag, and put the rainbow badge inside.

After leaving the gym, Mewtwo stopped walking and looked around. Should he keep trying to become a better trainer? He stared at the ground. Maybe he just wasn't meant for this. But what other options where there? He certainly did not want to become a fighting machine – his intended purpose.

A buzzing sound got his attention, becoming louder and louder. Mewtwo widened his eyes. _Not another beedrill attack!_ He looked to his right and, after seeing those familiar blue eyes, he calmed down.

It was the green beedrill, flying chaotically with his bent wings. His body was covered in scratches. He landed next to Mewtwo and looked up at him. "Bzzz!"

"Got in trouble again, didn't you?" Mewtwo asked, staring calmly at the beedrill.

"Bzzz!" the beedrill said while hugging Mewtwo's right leg.

Mewtwo sighed. "Alright, Buzz, you can come with us. I just … don't know where exactly we will go from here."

The beedrill flew toward Mewtwo's still open backpack and made his way inside. Then he started to make various types of buzzing sounds, which made Mewtwo concerned about whether the little bug could properly fit in there among all those cans and fruit.

"I think you'd feel more comfortable in a poké ball, if that's alright with you," Mewtwo said, taking out one ball from the side pocket.

The beedrill stuck his head out of the bag. "Bzz?"

Mewtwo showed the poké ball to him, and the bee pokémon pressed the button on it with one of his needles. This resulted in the beedrill getting turned into red light and then getting absorbed into the ball.

"Welcome to the team, Buzz," Mewtwo said. Then he put the beedrill's poké ball into the pocket with the pokédex, next to Charles' ball.

Meanwhile, Charles was busy eating some red berries out of a bush on the side of the road.

Mewtwo looked at the path in front of him. "You know what? Saffron City is nearby. Let's head there. Maybe Sabrina could help me decide what to do."

Charles finished stuffing his face with berries and grabbed the bush, uprooting it.

"No! Put that back!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles shook his head, refusing.

"Charles! Put it back before the police sees this! There are plenty of berry bushes in the wild! This bush belongs to the city, so replant it right this instant!"

Charles decided to give up the bush and buried its roots back into the soil. He was full anyway.

Mewtwo began to walk, and his charizard followed. But then a pidgey flew in front of the unusual trainer and landed at his feet.

"Not another one of these!" Mewtwo yelled while backing away.

"Pidgey?" the bird asked while tilting its head. It lifted its left leg and presented it.

"What's that? Is your leg broken?"

The pidgey shook its head to negate. "Pid-gey!"

"Then what is that thing on it?"

"Gee!" the feathered pokémon said while rolling its eyes. Then it used its beak to remove the rolled sheet of paper that had been strapped to its leg with a rubber band. It was a letter.

Mewtwo took the note from the bird's beak and read it. "Hmm … It's from Professor Oak. He wants us to go to his lab right now for an important task." He turned to check on his pokémon, who was standing there watching him. "Well, it looks like Saffron City will have to wait. Let's go see the professor!"

Charles scowled and grumbled something, then chased after his trainer, who decided to hurry to Pallet Town.

▶ **To be continued.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Package**

"Come on, Charles! We're almost there!"

Charles panted while dragging his feet and tail on the ground. He envied his trainer's stamina. Evolving into charizard did not exactly make his body fit. The rather large belly and the rarely used leg muscles not only kept him from taking off the ground and using those majestic wings he had been blessed with, but also left him lacking in speed.

Mewtwo waited for him, wagging his tail. "Maybe I should have recalled you," he said once Charles finally arrived.

Catching his breath, Charles puffed some smoke through his nostrils and then crossed his arms.

"Or you could have flied for a while," his trainer said.

Charles lowered his wings and sighed, looking miserable.

"What? You can't fly?" Mewtwo asked. "Is there something wrong with your wings?" He touched his charizard's left wing with his hands, only to get slapped with it. "Ow! Why did you do that?"

"Zarrrrrr!" Charles roared while whipping the ground with his flaming tail.

"I just wanted to check your wings to see if everything was fine!" Seeing that his pokémon growled at him, he backed off. "Alright. Continue walking then."

Charles let out a whine and then let himself drop to the ground.

Mewtwo scowled at him. "Aw, come on! We have to pass through Viridian City, and it's just up ahead. Then it's only going to be a ten minute walk until we get to Pallet Town."

His charizard sighed and began to crawl after him.

Mewtwo face-palmed as he led the way. "Why are you like this?"

* * *

Viridian City greeted the two traveling pokémon once more with lush vegetation sprinkled among green-roofed houses. Mewtwo didn't think he'd return this early to this city, but he was glad to see it again. It didn't make him feel small like Celadon with its tall skyscrapers did, nor did it seem as simple as Pewter City, which only had a large variety of gray, boring rocks to offer and barely any trees or bushes.

Charles managed to drag himself into the city and then sprawled himself on the ground.

"Oh, you made it," Mewtwo said with a smile. "Maybe we should drop by the pokémon center. You and Buzz could use some revitalization." He walked further, but then a raspy voice caught his attention.

"Spare some food for Meowth!"

Mewtwo looked to his left and saw who was speaking to him. "Are you … a pokémon?"

The whiskered, cream creature with black ears, brown tail tip and rear paws, and a golden metal piece on its forehead approached him, walking on its hind legs. "Well what do I look like? Your average stray cat?"

"But you actually talk!" Mewtwo said.

"Yeah, don't remind me. I've wasted my time learning this useless skill, only to be considered a freak by both humans and pokemon. That's why I'm begging for food here."

"Useless?" Mewtwo asked. "Being able to communicate with humans has helped me a lot. I probably would have ended up captured by someone by now if I hadn't been able to tell them I can reason."

"Well, you're not something they see everyday," Meowth said. "I'm just a plain ol' meowth. Nobody wants to catch me. Everyone just gives me the boot and thinks I'm possessed or somethin'."

"Oh, that's awful!" Mewtwo said as he searched through his backpack. "Here, you can have this can of sardines. Also take this spring water bottle and this pack of ham."

"Meow! Thank you, kind unusual pokémon!" Meowth said, accepting the supplies with a smile. "How could I ever repay ya?"

Charles got back on his feet and came to see who Mewtwo was talking to. He started rubbing his right foot. "Char ra rizardard, charizard rrrzard ..."

"That's probably because you don't exercise much," Meowth said while pointing at the charizard.

Charles showed Meowth his fists. "Zaaaard!"

"Is he your charizard?" Meowth asked Mewtwo.

Mewtwo scratched the back of his head and said, "Yes, he is. But … um … can you understand what he says?"

Meowth nodded. "Of course! All pokémon can understand each other."

"Well, I kind of lack that ability. If you were to speak to me in your native language, I'd probably not understand a word you'd say."

Meowth's eyes widened. "But why? You're a pokémon, ain't ya?"

"Yes, but … you see, I am not like those who were born from a mother and a father. I … was created. I am … Mewtwo, supposedly the most powerful pokémon in the entire world."

Meowth's jaw dropped.

"But I'm not even sure how to use my powers," Mewtwo said. "I can't even understand pokémon language. Could you teach me how to do so, please?"

"You've come to the right meowth, because Meowth is gonna teach ya!"

Mewtwo smiled. "Neat!" Then he sat next to Meowth among some bushes on the side of the road while Charles watched them.

The cream feline began. "There are two ways to understand what pokémon say. The first one is very unreliable, and humans use it for pokémon that use words made out of their own name. Using this method, you may be able to understand a meowth or a rattata, but you may have trouble figuring out what a staryu or a beedrill is saying. There are many types of dialects pokémon may have. Your charizard, for example, speaks like an uneducated peasant."

Charles growled at Meowth and turned around, whipping the small feline with his powerful tail. Meowth got sent flying into a bush a bit further.

"Charles! Calm down!" Mewtwo shouted. "Meowth! Are you alright?"

"Somewhat," Meowth said while wrestling with the bush's branches so he could free himself. "Your charizard sure is strong, but definitely out of shape."

Charles glared at him. "Chaaar!"

Meowth got out of the bush and continued where he left off. "Anyway, the second way of understanding pokémon is basically an ability that all pokémon possess, and very few humans have it too. So … how do we pokémon understand each other so well? Instead of focusing on the words themselves, we focus on intonation and body language, and then we can peer into the very soul of each other. I know it sounds pretty melodramatic and all that jazz, but it's true. That's how you can really understand what another pokémon is going through."

Mewtwo curled his tail to resemble a question mark. "Really?"

"Yep. Just by talkin' to you, I can tell you are searching for a purpose in your life, and that you aren't sure if you're goin' the right way."

"Indeed," Mewtwo said, "I am pretty much doubting that the path I'm currently walking on is the best for me. Charles and I can't seem to get along. He keeps trying to fight without listening to my instructions."

"You two need to bond better," Meowth said. "I'm sure Charles has been trying to tell you something this whole time, but you just didn't listen. So his words fell on deaf ears."

Charles puffed some smoke out of his nostrils and glared at Meowth while grumbling.

Mewtwo turned to look him in the eyes. "Charles, what is it that you were trying to tell me?"

Charles looked away, still grumpy, refusing to say anything.

"Well, I'm going to find out one way or another!" Mewtwo said. His eyes began to glow blue as he tried to get into his charizard's mind. He had been in there before while Charles was a charmander, so it should not be any different now. Yet, his efforts proved fruitless, as Charles' mind kept avoiding Mewtwo's question. "Why am I not finding the answer?"

"Char raa chariz," Charles said, and then slapped his trainer with his left wing before turning his back on him.

"What did he say?" Mewtwo asked.

"He said that you'll never understand," Meowth said.

"But I want to, Charles! I want to understand what's been troubling you! I want to help you!"

"Rrrarizrrr ... zard!" Charles said before spitting fire on the sidewalk.

"What does that mean? I can tell he's furious, but I can't figure out what he's on about."

Meowth squinted his eyes while trying to analyze what Charles had just said. "I think … I think this might be an issue that's been there from before you guys met. He just said he spits on trainers."

Mewtwo gasped. "What?!" He shook his head to snap out of his astonishment. "But there was no 'before'!"

Meowth stared at him with a puzzled look on his face. "Huh? What do ya mean?"

"Charles is also a created pokémon. We … began life at the same time, in some strange objects. I think one of the humans said something about glass. But now that I think about it … I've seen some existing things before I opened my eyes. I saw trees, rivers, mountains, the sky … Was it all just a dream?"

"How can you dream of that stuff if you were never awake until then?" Meowth asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the humans have poured their knowledge into me, and that's why I know of many things that actually exist in this world. After all, they have given me their language."

"I guess that explains some stuff," Meowth said.

"But what knowledge did they give to Charles? What could have caused him to despise trainers so much?"

Charles glared at Mewtwo over his left wing.

"I can almost feel his pain ..." Mewtwo said.

"You're a psychic type," Meowth said. "Those of your kind feel pokémon's emotions as if they were their own. You really shouldn't have trouble understanding other pokémon if you set your mind to it."

"I guess I still need some practice. But first, I have to go see Professor Oak from Pallet Town."

"Hey, I'll give you the chance to practice right now, just before you go. Meowth meow mew meh meooow! What did I say?"

Mewtwo stared into Meowth's large eyes that had slit pupils. He could feel warmth in Meowth's words. Then the meaning of what Meowth had said came to him easily. "You wish me a safe trip. Thank you."

"That's right!" Meowth said, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Well, see you later, Meowth. It's been a pleasure talking to you."

"Your kind gesture has made my day. Meow! See you around!" After saying that, Meowth waved with his right paw as Mewtwo and Charles began to walk away.

* * *

Professor Oak was having tea at his table while his helpers were busy repairing pokédexes. The fact that his pidgey had returned without the note meant that either Mewtwo had received the message, or that his pidgey had somehow lost the note. The professor hoped it was the former situation.

"Hey, Professor!" It was Mewtwo.

Oak got up from the table. "Ah, you're here. That was fast."

"I've met an actual talking pokémon! A talking meowth!"

"Oh, so the rumors are true," the professor said. "There really is a talking meowth roaming these streets."

"Well, not exactly _these_ streets. He was in Viridian City, and he was begging for food."

"Aw, the poor thing … If you see him again, please tell him that he can come over any time. I would be glad to meet such an unusual pokémon. And I've got some food that is made especially for the meowth species, so I'm sure he'll like it."

Mewtwo nodded. "I will tell him. But first, please tell me what I'm here for."

"Right," Professor Oak said. "Look at that slab of stone on that counter over there." He pointed at the square rock illuminated by a lamp. It had a spiraled shape on it.

"It's a … snail shell?" Mewtwo said.

"No. It may look like one, but this shell belonged to a pokémon. And not just any pokémon, but one that has been extinct for over two million years!"

"What does 'extinct' mean?"

The professor lifted the slab and held it in his arms. "It means that this creature's species no longer exists today. All of its members are dead." He gave it to Mewtwo to hold.

"They all died? Why?"

"While many prehistoric pokémon went extinct due to a giant meteorite that struck our planet and changed the climate, it seems the omanyte line disappeared for different reasons. Scientists think that at some point their evolved forms, omastar, suffered due to a gene that caused their shells to become too heavy to allow them to catch prey. Since this species preferred to breed as omastar, this meant that most of its members failed to reproduce due to dying of starvation."

"How horrible! If they lived today, we could have ensured that they were well-fed!" Mewtwo said.

"If they lived today ..." the professor said. "You see, this is why I called you here. This helix fossil contains 'footprints' of the DNA of an omanyte. I want you to deliver this to the lab next to the museum that's under construction in Pewter City. A group of scientists are planning on doing something for the first time in science. They will recreate this ancient pokémon from this fossil you hold."

Mewtwo's eyes went wide. "They can do that?!"

"I'm not sure if they can. But I have high hopes that their theory is correct. I have looked over their plans and it sounds like they could actually pull it off, so I've obtained this fossil to help them out. Please deliver it to them! Be careful; it's very fragile. We need as many intact DNA 'footprints' as possible."

"Don't worry, Professor! I'll make sure it arrives there safely!" Mewtwo said before taking his bag off and putting the fossil inside.

"By the way, how is your charmander doing?"

"He's outside," Mewtwo said, pointing at the door. Charles could be seen rolling on the grass in front of the professor's lab.

"Oh, my! Would you look at that! He's a charizard now!" Professor Oak said.

"A disobedient charizard," Mewtwo said. "But I'm hoping to solve his issues eventually."

"Have you captured any new pokémon?"

Mewtwo brought out a poké ball. "Well, only this one. Buzz, come out!"

The green beedrill popped out of its ball and had trouble flying with his bent wings.

"Oops! I forgot to take him to the pokémon center to get his wings straightened," Mewtwo said as he took Buzz in his arms, allowing the creature to rest. "Sorry, dude. I'll take you there once we reach Viridian City again."

"Bzz!"

"It's one of those beedrill with the rare gene for green body and blue eyes!" the professor said. "That gene also causes them to be slightly smaller than the normal ones. Nice capture!"

"Thanks, though initially I didn't mean to capture him. I just wanted to save him, because the other beedrill rejected him."

"Bzzzz ..." Buzz whined as he hid his head under Mewtwo's armpit.

"It seems it's a very touchy subject to him," Mewtwo said.

"I see," the professor said.

Mewtwo recalled Buzz and put him back into the backpack's side pocket. "Well, I'll go deliver the fossil to the scientists and I'll send Meowth over to you. Have a nice day!"

Professor Oak smiled at him. "You too, and take care of yourself and your team!" He watched as Mewtwo went outside to wake Charles up and then leave. _Maybe there is some hope for a pokémon to become a trainer after all._

▶ **To be continued.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Cyan City**

Mitch sat at his computer, mouse in one hand, keyboard under the other. He smirked at the screen in front of him, on which he saw what seemed to be a spaceship painted red and gold. With the mouse, he ordered said spaceship to plant a landmine.

Golbat sat on Mitch's desk and watched his trainer play.

"I'll blow 'em up! Just watch me, Golbat!" Mitch said. "I'll wait until their robot steps on the landmine, and then I'll bring my trapping robot to the surface."

In the game, a bipedal robot with two cannons for arms charged at Mitch's spaceship. The robot stepped onto the landmine and got blasted away. When it got back up, Mitch ordered his trapping robot to drill its way to the surface right underneath the enemy robot.

Mitch grinned. "It's severely weakened. Perfect time for a barrage of missiles!" He ordered his spaceship to attack.

As dozens of missiles filled the screen every second, Golbat started flapping his wings and chanting, "Gol! Bat! Gol! Bat! Gol! Bat!" with increasing frequency as the enemy robot's hit points decreased. When the opponent was destroyed in an explosion of fireworks, Golbat lifted his left wing and yelled, "Golbat-baaat!"

Mitch gave his pokémon a high five. "Yeah! Now on to the next level!"

Golbat nodded. "Bat-bat!"

When Mitch realized his phone was ringing, he sighed. "It seems like the next level has to wait." He took the phone off his desk and saw the name Giovanni as the caller's ID. "Hi, Boss! What's up?"

"Your time to loaf around is up," Giovanni said. "Come to my office. I have what you'll need for your next assignment."

"I'll be right there!" Mitch said before the boss hung up.

* * *

Mewtwo was in Viridian City, approaching the pokémon center. It was about time to fix Buzz's bent wings and to reinvigorate Charles, who had chosen to rest in his poké ball for this trip.

When the building's doors opened, Mewtwo was shocked to see a very sad Yan hugging a whiskerless Nutcracker. "Yan! What happened?"

Yan looked up to see Mewtwo and then said, "Team Rocket! They stole some pokémon from three kids. Nutcracker and I tried to stop them. They defeated Nutcracker, and then they cut his whiskers! He loses his balance without them!"

"Those bastards!" Mewtwo said, whipping the air with his tail. "How could they do this to a pokémon?"

Yan patted his raticate on the head. "They don't care about pokémon. To them they are just tools."

"Can his whiskers be repaired by the healing machine?"

"I'm afraid not," Yan said. "You might think that potions and healing machines can work wonders on sick or wounded pokémon, but … it all depends on how much damage we're talking about, and on what pokémon sustained that damage. Bug pokémon and a few water pokémon can regrow limbs pretty fast, and putting them in the healing machine speeds up the process. They can have their limbs back within mere hours that way. But for normal types like my raticate … if he were to lose a limb, he'd be handicapped for life. Fortunately his whiskers can grow back, but it will take about three days, even with the machine's help."

"I'm sorry I didn't arrive there before this happened," Mewtwo said.

Yan looked up at him. "Don't be. You couldn't have known. You were somewhere else."

"But I knew that Team Rocket was causing trouble around. I should have warned people."

"That's not your job, Mewtwo. The police are already aware of these crooks, and there are posters with the mugs of the Rockets all over Viridian City. It's just that sometimes they get away with it because the police can't be everywhere."

Mewtwo clenched his right hand's three fingers into a fist. "It may not be my job, but I will assemble a strong pokémon team and put an end to Team Rocket's criminal activities soon." Then he remembered something, so he searched his backpack's pocket. "Oh. I came here to get my pokémon healed. Nurse Joy! Please reinvigorate my charizard and beedrill."

"Right away!" the nurse said as she took the balls from Mewtwo's hand. "So, your charmander evolved all the way into a charizard in just two days? Or was my computer acting up and showing it as a charmander last time you've visited here?"

Mewtwo had a puzzled look on his face. "Is it unusual for him to evolve this fast?"

"Charmander evolves at level 16 into charmeleon," Joy said, "and then into charizard at level 36. Even if you were to put him through the most intensive training, your Charles would at best still be a charmeleon today, because there is no way you'd have time to teach him all the skills necessary. You'd not even have time to feed him. There is only one way this could have happened, but ..."

"There wasn't much training involved, and he mostly battles on his own. I'm still trying to get his complete trust."

"I'm glad you didn't force him to train, but if training and battling wasn't the reason behind his rapid evolution, then maybe he touched an evolution stone."

Mewtwo lowered his left ear. "What does that stone look like?"

The nurse searched through her desk's drawer and brought out a semitransparent orange stone that had a still flame inside it. "It probably looks like this. This is a fire stone, but it should have no effect on charmander nor on charmeleon."

"I've seen a lot of rocks in Pewter City, but they all looked like normal rocks. Charles did evolve into charmeleon there, but then he evolved in Celadon City later on. No strange rocks there either."

"Then ..." Nurse Joy began, "maybe it is a different breed of charmander, kind of like the Alolan forms, which come from the Alola region."

"I don't think Charles has ever been to Alola. He and I were created by some scientists on Cinnabar island."

"You're created? Well, that explains a lot. Your intelligence seems to be way higher than any pokémon known to us so far. Is your charizard as civilized as you?"

Mewtwo's ears drooped. "Uh, no. He acts kind of feral at times."

"Sounds like you'll have to train him better. Just remember to treat your pokémon with kindness and you will earn their respect."

"I try my best, but it seems there's something bothering him. I'll find out what it is, eventually. At least I hope so. I mean, I've been taught by a meowth how to understand pokémon, but Charles is just so difficult to read ..."

"You've been taught by a meowth?!" Yan said. "You mean … _the_ talking meowth?!"

Mewtwo looked at him and said, "Yes, he seems to be a nice pokémon. The poor fellow roams the streets begging for food. I need to find him as soon as I can to tell him that Professor Oak's going to give him a place to stay and food to eat. He was in this city last time I saw him, but I could not find him anymore."

Yan smiled. "Wow! So he _does_ exist! I want to meet him too! Can I tag along?"

"Sure, as long as your parents don't mind."

"Don't worry, they're fine with me traveling as long as I keep in touch with them through my phone."

"Alright then," Mewtwo said.

The nurse brought his poké balls back. "Your beedrill's wings have been unfolded and your charizard is well-rested. Here they are."

He took them smiling and said, "Thank you, Nurse Joy! Have a good day!"

She smiled back. "Thanks, may you have a nice day too!"

When Mewtwo and Yan came out of the pokémon center, they saw a golbat that was hanging upside-down from the top of a lamppost. The creature stared at them with its tiny eyes as if it were scanning them, and then flew away in the blink of an eye.

"Man, golbat sure look ugly," Yan said.

"Well, I wouldn't call them ugly," Mewtwo told him, "but they're not exactly cuddly creatures either."

Yan looked at the poké ball he held in his right hand. "I like my raticate. He's tough, he's cool, and fluffy too."

"You and Nutcracker are long time friends, huh?" Mewtwo asked.

"Yeah. Five years ago, I heard this strange noise in the attic. I went up there with a flashlight and saw something scurry through the gnawed cardboard boxes of nuts. Then I saw it jump into one of those boxes, so I went to see what it was. When it jumped at me, I screamed. My dad heard me and, when he saw what had scared me, he gave me a poké ball and told me to relax because it was just a rattata. He encouraged me to go catch it. And so, I threw the ball at that rattata and captured my first pokémon without even being an official trainer. Since then, Nutcracker and I have been training along with a few kids from the neighborhood, and then he evolved into the raticate he is today."

"I guess you'll become official once you're ten years old, right?"

"You betcha!" Yan said and then grinned.

* * *

The scientists from the lab next to the Pewter City Museum sat at a round, glass table and discussed with serious expressions on their faces.

"I'm not so sure it was a good idea for Professor Oak to let a pokémon carry the helix fossil. What if it runs off with it?" one man from their team said.

The woman next to him said, "Have a little faith; if it's an intelligent pokémon, I don't think it would just steal stuff like that."

"Abra are quite intelligent, and some of them still use their telekinesis to steal round objects while people aren't looking," the guy from earlier told her.

All six scientists turned their heads to look at the doorway through which Mewtwo came.

"Hi! I'm Mewtwo and I've brought that fossil the professor gave me."

The eldest of the scientists, who had long, gray hair, got up and approached Mewtwo. "Welcome to the Pewter Museum of Science! This is our laboratory section, as Oak may have told you. I'm Boulder Pebble, the head of our team."

"So, is it true that you guys revive pokémon out of fossils?" Mewtwo asked.

"We wouldn't really call it reviving. What we do here is called cloning. By finding out how a fossil's DNA looked like, we apply its patterns in stem cells of closely related species with the help of our cloning machine. The machine basically prints out a living replica of any prehistoric pokémon."

"Have you cloned anything yet?"

"Well, there was Mary, the mareep. She was not cloned from a fossil, but all we did was give the pattern of the original mareep's DNA to the machine, and it built a perfect replica of the original within four days!"

"Wow!" Mewtwo said, his eyes wide with awe. "Where is Mary? Can I see her?"

Boulder lowered his gaze to the ground.

"She was, uh, taken out of the container a bit too early," a young man with brown hair and big, round glasses said as he went up to Mewtwo.

"So what happened to her, mister?"

"Do not call me mister! I am Seymour! Seymour the scientist!"

"Sorry!" Mewtwo said, lowering his ears.

"But to answer your question … Mary's lungs weren't fully developed on the fourth day, so she was unable to breathe properly when my colleagues took her out of the container. Unfortunately, she didn't survive."

"Wait! If you were unable to create a creature that could survive, what makes you think you could recreate something as old as omanyte?"

Seymour placed his glasses better on his nose. "She could have survived, but these numskulls were too eager. They could have waited, but too soon they took out the creature. We won't be making the same mistake on this event! Six days is the minimum we will have spent, for the machine to finish preparing the clone for its extraction, so that we may see it in action."

Boulder face-palmed. "The rhymes … The awful rhymes ... Seymour, you'll have to work on those. Anyway, Mewtwo, since we're on the topic of cloning and such, Professor Oak told me that you yourself are a created pokémon."

"That's true," Mewtwo said.

The old man smiled. "Cinnabar Island, huh? Those guys were actually way ahead of us."

Mewtwo gasped. "Y-you knew them?"

"Not all of them, but Dr. Fuji, their head scientist, recruited me for a short while. He asked me to supervise the first clones – a charmander, a squirtle, and a bulbasaur. They didn't even look like the starters they were cloned from. If anything, they looked like tiny, pathetic fish. Those three … they didn't make it past the first month."

"That's sad," Mewtwo said.

"But Dr. Fuji didn't give up. He made a second batch, and those pokémon failed to grow past the first month as well. I've seen two more batches fail this way before I gave up working for him. He was so determined to successfully clone a pokémon that he didn't really care how many times he would see this kind of failure. God knows what pushed the guy to be so serious about it."

"So he cloned me … from what?"

"I don't know," the old man said. "I've never seen anything like you before. But the guy did have a habit of adding a 'two' at the end of the clones' species name. If you're Mewtwo … then what is a mew?"

Mewtwo tilted his head to the side. "A mew? I don't know. I would like to see one."

"Anyway, I need your help, if the cloning of omanyte is to happen."

"Sure, Mr. Boulder, I'll help."

"There is this other scientist who has a laboratory in Cyan City. He is working on a liquid that is similar to the one Dr. Fuji used for his cloning experiments. Please go there and retrieve a five liter bottle of it. His name is Dr. Windmill and he lives at house number 20. Cyan City is smaller than most Kanto cities, so the house will be easy to find."

"I'm heading there right now!" Mewtwo said with a grin.

Yan waited for Mewtwo outside the lab. When he saw him, he asked, "Did they revive the omanyte?"

"Not yet," Mewtwo said. "I need to retrieve something from Cyan City. Are you coming?"

"Of course! I've always wanted to go to the mountains! Also, Cyan City has a gym. You might want to challenge it while we're there."

"Great! Let's go!"

* * *

It took them one hour to reach the top of the mountain to the north of Pewter City, but the effort was worth it. There they found Cyan City, where not a single skyscraper could be spotted. Instead, all houses were made of wood, and most of them were smaller than even the ones from Pallet Town. There were conifers growing everywhere on each side of the place, and various bird pokémon watched from among the trees' needled branches. Small, rodent-like pokémon – some of which were light blue while others were pink – scampered as soon as they saw Mewtwo and Yan walk on the path near them.

"Look at that! Cyan City's gym!" Yan said while pointing at the biggest wooden building in the city. Atop its cyan roof, there was a pair of wings made of wood.

"It's as if it could take off any second now," Mewtwo said.

"Yeah, this gym focuses on flying types. But that shouldn't be a problem for you since you got a charizard."

Mewtwo lowered his ears. "It wouldn't be a problem if he could actually fly."

"He can't fly?!"

"Well, as soon as he evolved, he struggled to use his wings."

"Maybe the gym leader could teach Charles how to fly," Yan said.

"I hope so," Mewtwo said. Then he perked up when he saw the number 20 on a metal plate on a building. "Oh, there's Dr. Windmill's house! He even has a windmill near it!"

Mewtwo knocked on the door and waited. Then the door was opened by a black-haired, middle-aged man with square glasses.

"Hello! Are you Dr. Windmill?"

The man took one look at the pokémon in front of him and said, "Good day! You must be Mewtwo, the pokémon Professor Oak told Boulder about. Glad to see the old man didn't go bonkers."

"I know it's hard to believe that a pokémon could understand humans so well and communicate with them. It's not exactly something you humans see everyday."

"Well, you don't look like anything I've seen before. Do you happen to have any ties to what happened on Cinnabar Island?"

Mewtwo nodded. "I was created there. My charizard is also one of their creations. Two other pokémon that were in the containers there were already dead when I woke up to the world."

"Amazing! Boulder and I thought they'd never succeed, especially after that explosion," Dr. Windmill said and then smiled. "Oh, and on the topic of the liquid I'm supposed to give you … I'm afraid it might take about four hours until it finishes stabilizing. In the meantime, feel free to explore Cyan City. I've heard you are a trainer, so maybe you could challenge the Cyan Gym if you desire to do so."

"Indeed, I was thinking of challenging that gym. See you later, sir!"

After leaving Dr. Windmill's house, Yan looked up at Mewtwo and asked, "So, you're going to challenge Aquila after all? Even with a flightless charizard?"

Mewtwo looked at the ground. "Well … at least Buzz can fly, now that his wings have been repaired."

"I hate to break it to you, pal, but bug types are weak against flying types," Yan said. "Your beedrill's poison type moves might help him out, but beedrill doesn't learn any rock or electric type moves to deal super effective damage. Uh, except electroweb, but he would have to learn how to use it from a pokémon that knows it, and then Buzz could train to master it. At best you could train him to use hyper beam, but I'm not sure if less than four hours would be enough for that."

Before Mewtwo could send another telepathic message Yan's way, he heard a high-pitched scream, possibly from a distressed pokémon. He and the youngster looked in the direction of the cry and saw the source of it.

A brown, quadrupedal creature with long ears, fluffy tail and matching collar kept yelling, "Veev!" while its owner kept tugging its leash. The pokémon's ears were constricted by pink bows at their bases.

"Come on, Vixie! You're going to be late for the beauty salon!" The owner was a young, blonde woman with a slim figure, wearing a pink, sparkly dress accompanied by a red bag and shoes with high heels. She tugged the leash some more when she saw that her pokémon kept pulling toward a patch of green grass.

"Looks like that eevee wants to play and roll around in the grass a little," Yan said.

"Just like my charizard," Mewtwo told him.

The woman gave a nasty look to her eevee and shouted, "No! You are a lady! Ladies do not roll in the dirt! Now come on!" She tugged the leash so hard that Vixie basically flew into the woman's leg.

Yan's jaw dropped. Then he turned his hands into fists. "Hey! That's no way to treat a pokémon!"

"She's too aggressive with it," Mewtwo said, frowning.

Yan couldn't stand to watch as the woman dragged the poor pokémon after her. He ran up to her and yelled, "Hey, you!"

She turned around and said, "Hm?"

He pointed at her. "Yeah, you! The one who treats pokémon like they're nothing but dolls that should look pretty for you!"

The blonde raised her lip in disgust and said, "A brat telling an adult what to do? Go play in the traffic, kid! I just washed my eevee's fur, I'm not gonna let her get dirty again." She turned to leave, adding, "Pesky little snot."

Behind her, Yan remained glaring daggers while Mewtwo looked with concern at the screeching eevee that was being dragged on her back over the sidewalk.

* * *

"Oh, that would definitely qualify as pokémon abuse!" Officer Jenny said to Yan and Mewtwo.

"What can we do about it, Officer?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well, I can't arrest people without evidence. I need at least photographic proof if not some videos of this woman mistreating her eevee."

Yan looked at Mewtwo. "Do you have a camera with you?"

"I doubt anything I've packed in my backpack is a camera."

"Snap!" Yan said while snapping his fingers. "My phone doesn't have one either."

Mewtwo looked into the officer's eyes. "How are we going to save that eevee? If she keeps pulling her around like that, the poor thing might get strangled. I'd interfere, but I don't want to get in a fight with a human. I don't really know my own strength yet."

"I'm gonna mess that witch's shit up!" Yan yelled.

"Mind your mouth, young man!" Officer Jenny told him. "I understand that you're angry about this. I have a solution: rent a camera."

Yan calmed down and stared at her. "We can do that?"

"There is a professional photographer near the gift shop of this city. He lends his cameras to people for a small fee, but you must leave your pokédex there as a guarantee that you won't run off with his camera."

With a determined look on his face, Yan said, "I'll pay that fee. I don't have a pokédex, but … Mewtwo, would you temporarily give yours to the photographer?"

Mewtwo smiled at him. "If that is what it will take to save a pokémon from such horrible treatment, then I'm prepared to give not just that, but anything it takes."

▶ **To be continued.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Catch Me While You Can**

In his hands, Mewtwo held the DSLR camera while he walked alongside Yan. Its large lens was perfect for zooming in, which would be crucial for their stealth photography plans.

"Man, the look on the renter's face when he heard you talk was priceless!" Yan said.

"I'm surprised and also thankful that he actually agreed to rent out the camera to us," Mewtwo said.

"He did seem a bit terrified of you."

Mewtwo looked around. "Now that we got the camera, where can we find that woman?"

"She said something about a beauty salon. Shouldn't be hard to find; everything seems very neat in this small city. We just got to walk straight ahead and we'll likely get there."

Behind some conifer bushes nearby, Mitch and his golbat hunkered down while watching Mewtwo and Yan pass by. The Team Rocket member had a red, square piece of glass in front of his left eye. The glass had a silver button on its top and was connected to a black plastic support that rested on his left ear. Instead of wearing his usual attire with the big, red R, he chose to sport a black T-shirt and cap, along with khaki shorts. The police did not put a price on his mug yet, so he could blend in anywhere.

"Alright, Golbat, now it's time to get that snapshot of the creature," he said as he put his left hand over his lens device's silver button. He had Mewtwo in his sight, all he had to do was press that button once and …

"Golbaaat!" Golbat yelled.

Mitch turned around to look at him. "Huh?"

A growlithe lifted its leg and tried to answer the call of nature by taking a leak on the bush near the two.

Mitch jumped out of the way. "Whoa! Watch where you're aiming, mutt!"

Once the growlithe finished its business, it let out a bark and then went on its way.

Mitch looked back at the place where Mewtwo used to be. He clenched his fist. "Crap … The _thing_ 's not there anymore!"

"Baat ..." Golbat said as it sat and let its wings droop to the ground.

* * *

At the pokémon beauty salon, the woman in pink spoke to someone on the phone while her eevee waited its turn to be beautified by one of the girls working there.

"Here they are!" Yan told Mewtwo while pointing at the salon.

Mewtwo nodded. "Good. Let's find somewhere to hide. We need to have a good view of the window. Perhaps the trash cans over there could be used as cover."

Yan stared at the trash cans, pondering for a second. "Yeah. Yeah, those'll have to do. Let's go!" He grabbed Mewtwo by the hand and dragged him behind the cans.

"Let's see," Mewtwo said while putting his right hand's index finger over the camera's snapshot button. When he pressed it, the camera snapped the photo of the woman and the eevee in the salon and showed it on its display on the back. "Good clarity. Now we just need to catch her in the act."

They waited for ten minutes before Vixie's turn came. Then the perfect opportunity showed itself when the woman started to yell at the eevee to sit still during the brushing. The beautician lady stared at the woman as if she wanted to interfere, but she held back so she'd not lose her customer.

"It looks like she's spiraling into anger again," Yan said. "I feel sorry for her eevee."

Mewtwo saw that the woman was preparing to hit Vixie. He quickly pressed the button when the woman's hand made contact with the eevee's back. "Got her!" he said before the camera's screen showed … "A blurry mess!"

Yan frowned. "Make sure to focus it next time!"

"Now I have to wait until she does some more bad stuff," Mewtwo said.

The beautician was trimming Vixie's bits of fur that stuck out too much. The eevee was trying to sit still, but some hair got in her nose, so she sneezed.

"Sit still!" her owner said, grabbing Vixie by the left ear. "You're giving the lady a hard time!" She pulled Vixie's ear some more.

"I've got you now!" Mewtwo said as he began pressing the camera's button. Unfortunately for him, a white van passed right in front of him, blocking the view to the beauty salon. When he looked at the photo taken, all it showed was the van's bulk. "Oh, no ..."

"You missed the chance again," Yan said as the blonde had stopped pulling the eevee's ear.

The woman and Vixie left the salon with no further incidents. It was time for Yan and Mewtwo to discretely follow them again.

In the meantime, Mitch and Golbat spotted the youngster and the telepathic pokémon. There was nowhere to hide though, so Mitch decided to walk a bit slower behind them, avoiding detection.

Two teenage boys were having a pokémon battle in a park near the path where Vixie and her owner walked. One of the teenagers had a charmeleon and the other had a geodude. The geodude won easily and was patted on the head by its owner, who said, "Nice job, buddy!"

Vixie smiled at the trainers and yelled, "Vee!" She felt her collar pressing harder on the front of her neck as her owner pulled her by the leash.

"Looks like that eevee's never been allowed to battle," Yan told Mewtwo.

The eevee kept trying to go up to the geodude's trainer, but her owner would not allow such thing to happen.

"Let's hide behind that bush," Mewtwo said, pointing at said bush near the park.

After they both hid, they had a good view of the woman who was dragging her eevee on the ground once again.

Mewtwo smirked. "This is it! I'm taking the shot!"

"Wait!" Yan said. "Switch to video mode!"

"How?"

Yan grabbed the camera, pushed some buttons on its back, and then gave it back to Mewtwo. "Just push the button at the top and keep it aimed at them."

As soon as the camera's lens was aligned with the woman and her eevee, a pidgey happened to fly straight into Mewtwo's head from the right.

"Why do these pidgey have to mess with me all the time?" Mewtwo shouted.

Yan grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down so that the woman would not spot who was shouting.

Mitch and his golbat caught up to them and hid behind a statue of a giant fish.

"I've been tracking you down for two hours already, you oversized cat!" Mitch said as he prepared to use the lens device to take a snapshot of Mewtwo.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stop getting this close to the statue," Officer Jenny told him.

Mitch jumped and turned around. "What?!"

"That is a very important piece of history you were leaning against. That statue represents a trout, one of the many animals that have become extinct. It was sculpted two hundred years ago."

"Sorry, ma'am!" Mitch said.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time," the officer told him, "but don't do it again, or else I'll fine you." Then she left, but still peeked to see if Mitch would touch the statue again.

Mitch looked at the bush where he had seen his target last time. "Of course it's gone again ..."

* * *

Mewtwo and Yan followed the woman all the way to her mansion. They hid behind a black car and looked through its windows.

Yan frowned. "If she goes inside the mansion, we'll not be able to film her anymore. It's private property."

"I cannot let things go like this!" Mewtwo said. "I must do something! Hold this!" He gave the camera to Yan and went to confront the woman.

"I sure hope things don't escalate," Yan said, holding the camera in front of his chest.

Mewtwo stood in front of the abusive owner. "Madam, I cannot allow you to continue mistreating your pokémon!"

"What sorcery is this?" the woman asked.

"I do not know what a sorcery is, but I would like to know why you are so mean to Vixie."

"Hmpf! First a brat mocks me, and now a pokémon thinks he can defend mine. Vixie doesn't need your help. She is treated like a princess. She lives in my big mansion that's behind me, she has a comfy and spacious bed, she gets the best food that most trainers cannot offer their pokémon, and she goes to the best beauty salon in Kanto."

"Then why does she look like she'd rather be somewhere else?" Mewtwo asked while pointing at Vixie, who was looking at the ground with a sad look on her face.

The woman looked at her pokémon. "Vixie, darling, are you not satisfied? Tell this … this monstrosity how good it is to be the pokémon of a millionaire!"

The eevee looked up at her. "Veev ..." Then she looked at Mewtwo.

He smiled at her. "Vixie, I can tell that you're not happy. Don't lie for her!"

Vixie had a serious look on her face as she pondered if it was worth it to admit to Mewtwo that her master treated her horribly. She looked into his purple eyes and felt like she could trust him, so she smiled back. "Eev vee!" she said, then turned around to growl at her owner.

"How dare you side with this mutant?" the woman asked. She lifted the eevee by the scruff of her neck and brought her so they could see eye to eye. "You won't be seeing the outside for a whole week for this!"

"Madam, I suggest you let that eevee go," Mewtwo said calmly.

"I did not ask for your suggestion!"

"Alright, madam. Then I _demand_ that you let that eevee go."

That sent the woman into a fit of rage. "Who do you think you are to make demands of me?! Ugly, nasty freak of nature!"

"I am Mewtwo, and I stand for all pokémon's right to be free."

"Well, you're definitely standing in my way!" the woman said as she swung Vixie on the leash and hit Mewtwo in the face with the eevee.

"Gotcha, you sparkling turd!" Yan whispered through a grin as he stopped the recording. He revealed himself from behind the car. "I'm calling the police! Don't let her escape, Mewtwo!"

The woman gasped as she saw Yan run away. "W-what is the meaning of this?!"

Mitch repeatedly bumped his forehead on the tree behind which he and Golbat were hiding. "Why does that woman have to block my view of that pokémon? Why can't she move so I can take that photo already?"

"Baat ..." Golbat said, looking equally disappointed.

"Now listen here, madam!" Mewtwo said while holding the middle of the leash so that the woman could no longer pull the eevee up. "I will not tolerate your mistreatment of this poor pokémon any longer! The only reason you managed to harm Vixie a few more times was because we needed proof of the abuse. But no more! This eevee is coming with me!"

"This eevee was bought for 133,000 pokédollars!" the woman said. "If you want it, you better have the wallet for it!"

"Pokémon are not slaves! If you would not sell a human, why would you sell another sentient species?"

The blonde grinned at him. "Who says humans weren't sold? You know nothing of humans."

Mewtwo's mouth remained as widely open as his eyes. "You people … You'd sell each other ..."

"There they are!" It was Yan's voice.

"Halt, madam!" Officer Jenny ordered. She arrived with a bigger version of growlithe. "Arcanine! Go behind her and don't let her escape to the mansion!"

The big, striped pokémon gracefully jumped in front of the mansion's entrance. With Mewtwo blocking the only remaining path that the pokémon abuser could take, Officer Jenny approached her and showed her police badge.

The blonde released the leash and gritted her teeth. "The brat actually called the police on me! I can't believe it! The nerve!"

"I am Officer Jenny and I am here to place you under arrest for cruelty toward pokémon. We have video evidence right here," the officer said while showing the video on the camera's screen. "And don't even think about stealing and destroying this camera; I have copied the video onto the computer of the police station. The evidence has been backed up as well, so don't think of destroying that computer either."

"Why can't you people mind your own business?" the blonde asked.

"The boy and the pokémon are being good citizens, and I am doing my job, which is arresting people who commit crimes, including pokémon abuse. You have the right to remain silent. Now come with me to the station, and don't even think about escaping. My arcanine can track you down with ease."

Vixie ran to Mewtwo's side and smirked as her owner glared at her.

"What will happen to this eevee now?" Mewtwo asked.

"Normally, we'd take abused pokémon away from their owners and put them up for adoption," Officer Jenny said while giving Yan the camera, "but I think this eevee would be safe with you guys, if you agree to take care of it."

"Well, Yan deserves to take Vixie," Mewtwo said. "He obtained the evidence."

Yan picked the eevee up in his arms and looked at him. "I'll be honest, I like normal types. But I'm not an official trainer yet. You should take her, Mewtwo. An eevee could evolve into pokémon with electric, fire, water, dark, or even psychic type, and some reports from other regions say it may even turn into grass, ice, and fairy types. Vixie would probably do better under your care. She wants to train, so take her in and you'll both benefit."

"Then it's settled," the officer said. She turned to look at the blonde woman. "Madam, you are to give up ownership of this eevee."

Vixie's owner took out a black ball with red and yellow horizontal stripes, held her index finger on the ball's button for thirty seconds, and then pointed the ball at Vixie. A blue beam of light connected with the pokémon and surrounded it in a blue aura before it faded away.

"So, what do you say, Vixie?" Mewtwo asked. "Do you want to join me?"

Vixie nodded. "Vee!"

"Alright!" Mewtwo said as he brought a ball out of his backpack's pocket. "Poké ball, go!" He threw it.

The ball touched Vixie's back, causing the eevee to turn into red light and get absorbed into the device. There was no shaking, just a click sound as Vixie felt right at home inside.

"Welcome to our team!" Mewtwo said, grabbing the ball and raising it above him.

"I'm glad the eevee's story has a happy ending," Officer Jenny said. "As for you, madam ..."

The blonde muttered something, scowling as she was taken away by the officer and the arcanine.

"I guess it's time for us to head for the gym," Mewtwo said.

Mitch tried once again to take a photo of Mewtwo, but a car got parked in the way, blocking his view. "Not again! I've had enough of this!" He stopped hiding behind the tree and went right in front of Mewtwo, instantly snapping a photo of him. "Finally!" Then he ran away, his golbat flying behind him.

"What just happened?" Mewtwo asked, watching Mitch run away.

"I don't know, that guy sure acted weird," Yan said.

Mewtwo shrugged. "Oh well, let's go to the gym. I'm eager to challenge it!"

Yan nodded. "Right, but first let's return this camera so we can get your pokédex back."

* * *

A white-haired girl with winglike pigtails sat on a chair. She wore a cyan dress that made her look like her arms were bird wings. She was serene, if a bit bored waiting for a challenger to come through her gym's door that had not been opened by anyone but her ever since the start of the year's Pokémon League challenge. Last year she barely had three challengers. It was to be expected, since not many competitors fancied climbing a mountain when the other badges were in more accessible cities.

The gym would not remain unchallenged for long that year, because Mewtwo made his entrance along with Yan. "Miss Aquila, I am Mewtwo, and I challenge you!"

The girl looked at him with her sky blue irises and froze for a moment. Did she hear right? Did she see right? A pokémon was challenging her to a battle. _No, this can't be. The kid next to it is pulling a trick on me._

"Um, miss? Are you okay?" Mewtwo asked.

"You … talked," she said.

"Yes, kind of. Except I use my mind to communicate."

She got up from her chair. "Is this telepathy? I've heard that psychic pokémon can share their thoughts with humans, but I've never heard of any pokémon able to take decisions such as challenging a gym leader. I find it hard to believe I'm not dreaming or, worse, hallucinating."

"Mewtwo's real, miss; even Professor Oak backs him up," Yan said.

Mewtwo smiled. "Yeah, I certainly feel real. And besides, even if this were a dream, why not go through with the challenge anyway?"

Aquila walked up to him and reached out with her right hand. "Let's shake hands. It would help with believing that this is real."

Mewtwo held her hand in his and then they shook hands.

"It feels warm," she said. She looked into his purple eyes. There was something about the pokémon in front of her that made her understand that she was facing a creature of high intellect. "Now would have been the perfect time to introduce myself, but you already know who I am. So let's begin the battle."

The terrain of the battlefield was mostly rocky, with patches of flat ground. Small rivers went along the sides of the area. The ceiling was the highest by far compared to the other gyms Mewtwo had challenged. No doubt it was to facilitate flight for flying type pokémon.

"I will use three pokémon," Aquila said. "Each one will be more difficult to defeat than the last. I will start with … Butterfree! I choose you!"

The purple pokémon with black-veined white wings came out of the poké ball she threw. It then flew above the battlefield, scanning the area with its big red eyes.

"Good," Yan said. "Butterfree is part bug type. You could use Charles against it."

Mewtwo threw the ball. "Go, Charles!"

Charles materialized and locked eyes with the butterfree. He inhaled and then blew a stream of fire out of his mouth.

The butterfree barely avoided the flames, but the heat was starting to make it nervous.

"Butterfree! Use sleep powder!" Aquila ordered.

"Freeee!" the butterfree cried out as it flapped its wings to send spores toward Charles.

Mewtwo wasn't going to let this be a repeat of the Celadon Gym incident, so he shouted, "Charles! Use your wings to send the powder away!"

"Chaaraaa … zaaaard!" Charles roared as he formed a powerful blade of wind by flapping his wings once.

The wind not only countered the spores, but it also hit the butterfree, causing it to have difficulty in maintaining flight.

"Nice work, Charles!" Mewtwo said.

"Awesome! Charles knows air slash!" Yan said.

"Let's see what your charizard can do when hit by a psychic attack," Aquila said. "Butterfree! Use confusion!"

"Freererere!" Butterfree squeaked while its eyes glowed blue.

Charles found himself surrounded by a blue aura. He felt weird, as if a veil had wrapped itself around his body. Then his arms started to move by themselves. "Zard?!"

"What's happening to him?" Mewtwo asked.

"I think Butterfree is trying to confuse Charles," Yan said. "It's taken control of him."

Out of the blue, Charles punched himself in the snout.

"Charles! What are you doing?" Mewtwo yelled.

Aquila laughed. "I know I can't just use bug type moves against your charizard, so I've weakened him first so my butterfree could do some damage with some flying attacks. Butterfree! Show him your air slash move!"

Butterfree nodded and then started flapping its wings. A sharp blade of wind hit Charles on the forehead. It hurt so bad that the charizard was incapable of paying attention to his opponent at that moment.

"Charles! Use flamethrower!" Mewtwo ordered, but his orders were ignored. Charles could not stop holding his forehead.

Aquila grinned. "I love air slash. It really cuts through the competition. Butterfree! Use air slash again!"

Her butterfree complied, giving Charles yet another cut, this time on the left arm.

Charles was distracted by the soreness of the wound, giving the opponent yet another opening for an attack.

"Butterfree! Use confusion again!"

Butterfree followed Aquila's orders and took control of Charles' body again.

"No! Charles! Fight back! You can't let that bug control you like this! Come on! Gather your strength and blast it while it's busy trying to control you!"

Upon hearing his trainer's words, Charles used his willpower and managed to take in a deep breath. He then unleashed a fire blast that the opponent was unable to avoid. Butterfree fell on the ground, all sore and unable to battle anymore.

"You win this round," Aquila said. "But you'll have to get off the ground when going against my next pokémon, because this one isn't weak to fire and flying attacks. Go, Pidgeot!"

Out of the ball came a version of pidgey twice as tall as Aquila, its head decorated with a yellow crest that covered the creature's entire back.

"Why do I always have to deal with these particular pokémon?" Mewtwo asked, remembering every moment when a pidgey had ruined his plans.

"Will you continue the battle using your charizard, or do you wish to switch it out?" Aquila asked.

Mewtwo looked at his pokémon. "What do you say, Charles?"

"Raaaaa!" Charles roared while stretching out his wings.

"He's still up for more fighting," Mewtwo said.

"Then let's begin. Pidgeot! Aerial ace!"

Pidgeot took off and flew straight at Charles, emitting white, glowing streaks from its body. Charles tried to dodge, but Pidgeot turned around and hit him in the back. That beak sure left a mark there between his wings.

"Pidgeot is so fast!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Use flamethrower!"

Charles complied, but Pidgeot simply avoided the jet of fire and then hovered in front of him.

"Pidgeot! Fly!" Aquila ordered.

Mewtwo had to think fast. "Charles! Use flamethrower again!"

Too late, Pidgeot was already way above Charles, almost touching the ceiling. The flamethrower attack could not reach it all the way there.

Mewtwo couldn't do anything but stare at the situation. "Now what? Charles can't fly ..."

Charles grumbled something at him and then began to flap his wings. He managed to create a strong current around himself, but he was still not taking off. Maybe jumping would help, so he tried it. He was off the ground! Now it was time for his wings to take him up to his opponent. But his body would not allow it. He found himself dragged down by the weight that his wings' muscles were not capable of lifting.

"He's not flying, he's gliding," Mewtwo said.

"Your charizard is out of shape," Aquila told him. "Pidgeot! Fly down on him!"

"Pidgeo!" Pidgeot yelled as it flew toward Charles, claws first. It landed on him with all its weight, nearly flattening the charizard on the ground.

"Charles!" Mewtwo yelled.

Pidgeot flew off, allowing Charles to attempt to get back on his feet. He was nearly there, but his body gave in due to the tiredness, resulting in his collapse. It was clear that Charles was not able to continue the fight.

Mewtwo brought out the poké ball and said, "Charles! Come back! You did well so far." After Charles was recalled, he dug into his backpack's pocket and picked another ball. "This is going to be pretty risky. Buzz! I choose you!"

Buzz materialized and stared at the giant bird pokémon that flew in circles above him. His first ever official battle and he was going to go against _this_ thing?

"A bug type," Aquila said. "It may be able to fly, but it's also weak to flying attacks. You practically handed me this victory. Pidgeot! Aerial ace!"

"Buzz! Fly out of the way!" Mewtwo ordered.

Buzz tried to dodge, but Pidgeot was too accurate in its strike, sending the bee pokémon crashing down. Yet the battle wasn't over. Enraged, Buzz flew after Pidgeot and stung the bird pokémon with all three of his needles. This caused Pidgeot to become poisoned, hindering its flight.

"Hang in there, Buzz! It's only a matter of time until Aquila's Pidgeot stops flying."

Buzz was prepared to launch another needle attack, all he needed was an order.

"Mewtwo, you should maximize the damage of Buzz' attack!" Yan said. "Try to order him to use sludge bomb, a strong poison type attack."

"Uh, Buzz, do you know how to use sludge bomb?" Mewtwo asked.

Buzz shook his head to negate. "Bzz-bzz."

"Pidgeot! Aerial ace again!" Aquila ordered.

"Tell him to shoot venom out of his stingers!" Yan yelled.

"Buzz! Shoot venom out of your stingers!" Mewtwo ordered.

Buzz put his arms' stingers in front of himself and shot two purple blobs at Pidgeot's face, making the bird pokémon unable to focus on the attack, resulting in a weaker strike landing on Buzz.

"Alright! Pidgeot's almost finished!" Mewtwo said, noticing that Pidgeot stood on the ground and struggled to maintain its balance.

Aquila knew it would not be long until her pokémon would faint. Ordering it to use aerial ace could be a way to end the round in a tie, but Pidgeot didn't have the energy to take off and fly at a high enough speed. "Pidgeot! Use hurricane!"

"Pidgeo!" it said as it nodded. Then it started to flap its wings fast, causing strong winds to fill the arena. "Geogeogeogeogeoooo!"

Buzz was extremely confused by all the wind and sand flying into his eyes. He could no longer maintain flight, so he crashed, rolling on the ground.

When the hurricane cleared up, Pidgeot stared down at the beedrill that tried his best to get back up.

"Buzz! Try one last shot!" Mewtwo ordered.

With great effort, Buzz put his left needle arm under his right arm and aimed for Pidgeot's head. Then he shot a ball of venom at the bird pokémon, knocking it unconscious.

"You won this round too, Mewtwo," Aquila said, bringing out a poké ball. "But your beedrill is very weak, and his poison attacks aren't going to do much damage against my final pokémon." She pointed the ball at Pidgeot. "Come back, Pidgeot! Alright, here goes my last one. Zubat! Go!"

Her zubat reminded Mewtwo of Mitch's Golbat, but the creature's lack of eyes seemed unnerving to him. It had two long ears and two even longer tails – or legs, whatever their use was.

"Are you going to continue with Buzz?" she asked.

Mewtwo looked at his pokémon. "Buzz, are you still up for a fight?"

"Bzzzz!" Buzz said while nodding.

"Alright then," Mewtwo said, "but be careful with this one. It seems to be flying everywhere!"

Indeed, the zubat could not hover in one place for even a second.

"I'll let you call the first attack," Aquila told Mewtwo.

"So … we can't use poison attacks against this one."

"Electroweb would have been nice to have," Yan said.

Mewtwo sighed. "Yes, but Buzz hasn't learned it yet. What other options do we have against Zubat?"

"At this point you've got two options," Yan told him. "One is hyper beam, which does a lot of damage but will leave Buzz open for attack while he rests. The other is … endeavor."

Mewtwo looked at Yan and lowered an ear. "What is endeavor?"

"An attack in which the pokémon puts all of its frustration from damage acquired so far. It could weaken Zubat, but it won't be enough to knock it out. In fact endeavor can't knock out an opponent, because the frustration is no longer present when the attacker feels equal in strength to the target."

"Well, I still got one pokémon left aside from Buzz. I think it's worth a try."

"Alright, Mewtwo. I just hope Vixie will be able to do something about the zubat," Yan said.

Mewtwo pointed at the battlefield and said, "Buzz! Use endeavor! Put all your energy into this attack!"

Buzz crouched as he vibrated his wings, then took off, flying straight at Zubat, pushing it into a rock. After he released the opponent, Buzz flew off to the center of the battlefield, waiting for Zubat's next move.

Aquila gave the next order. "Zubat! Air cutter!"

Zubat got up from the ground and started flapping its wings fast, releasing blue, S-shaped waves of light that headed straight for Buzz.

Tired, Buzz could not dodge the attack in time. The hit caused him to crash into the ground, unconscious.

"Buzz! Come back!" Mewtwo said, recalling him. Then he brought out the ball of the last pokémon he could use. "Vixie … it's all up to you now."

▶ **To be continued.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Gotcha!**

"Vixie! I choose you!" Mewtwo said as he sent out his last poké ball.

"Veev!" Vixie cried out with glee.

"So … what can you do? What level are you anyway?"

The eevee looked at Mewtwo and then at the zubat. Then she jumped toward it and … missed. The opponent went to a higher altitude.

"Zubat! Air cutter!" Aquila ordered.

Zubat sent the razor sharp, glowing wind blades toward Vixie, superficially cutting her skin through her fur coat.

"This battle may end faster than I've anticipated," Aquila said. "Zubat! Prepare to use air cutter again."

"Vixie, use … uh …" Mewtwo hesitated. He looked at Yan. "What attacks does an eevee have?"

"Mostly normal attacks," Yan said. "There's sand attack, but it won't work. Zubat is too far away. Some special attacks could probably work. Unfortunately, I don't know what special attacks eevee could have except one whose name I don't remember."

Aquila smirked. "You've got five seconds to decide on an attack, or else Zubat and I will take this turn too."

"Vixie! Try to avoid his attacks until we can figure out a way to fight back!"

Vixie nodded at Mewtwo and then watched Zubat.

"Alright, Zubat, use air cutter again!"

On Aquila's order, Zubat flapped its wings fast and unleashed the attack toward the eevee.

Not wanting to get more cuts, Vixie jumped out of the wind blast's way and then ran around, causing Zubat to use its ultrasounds more often to pinpoint Vixie's location.

Seeing that Zubat was getting too tired to use air cutter again, Aquila decided to order an easier move to execute. "Zubat! Wing attack!"

As Zubat approached with white glowing wings, Vixie found it harder to avoid the attack. She had to stop and do something before she would tire out.

"Vixie! Bite Zubat!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie dodged the zubat's wing attack and then turned around to chomp on one of Zubat's thin tails.

"Zubaaaat!" the blue pokémon screeched.

"Let's return the favor!" Aquila said. "Poison fang!"

Zubat curled its body, made its fangs glow purple, and then bit Vixie's fluffy tail. The attack left the eevee poisoned and resulted in Zubat being freed from her bite.

"Things are going to be pretty difficult now," Yan said.

"Hang in there, Vixie!" Mewtwo said.

Vixie was shaking but wasn't ready to give up. She kept her eyes on the zubat and growled.

Her trainer looked at Zubat as well. "We can't really do much until Zubat attacks."

"Then we will attack," Aquila said. "Zubat! Absorb Vixie's life force!"

Zubat's fangs started to glow red as it began sucking in red sparks from Vixie's body. This left Vixie with an even worse tremor, but she continued to stand.

"Oh, man, this isn't fair!" Yan said.

Mewtwo looked around. "There has to be something that could hit Zubat while it's flying. The trees won't help Vixie reach it, and Zubat doesn't even need to come down to use that attack ..."

"I think it won't even take three more hits before your eevee will faint," Aquila said. "Zubat, use absorb again!"

Vixie got her energy drained further, and the poison was starting to make her feel nauseous. Running was not the answer now. What else could she do?

"Maybe I should just call Vixie back," Mewtwo said.

Yan scowled at him. "Don't throw in the towel just yet! Look! Vixie is trying to do something."

Vixie's tail began to glow bright white. This made Aquila stare at her with a lot of interest.

"Oh, I get it!" Yan said. "She's trying to use swift!"

Mewtwo looked at him with a puzzled look on his face. "What does swift do?"

"Just give her the order and you'll see!"

Following Yan's advice, Mewtwo said, "Vixie! Use swift!"

Vixie jumped into the air and swung her glowing tail, releasing hundreds of golden sparkly stars at Zubat. The opponent could do absolutely nothing to avoid the attack, and got bombarded by the stars.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Aquila said. She spent a good three seconds deciding her next attack, because ordering another absorb would just allow Vixie the final swift move. "Zubat, I know you are tired, but we'll need a stronger attack. It's all or nothing now. Air cutter!"

"Vixie! Try to dodge and then use swift again!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie gathered all her strength and made her tail glow white. She kept her eyes on the blades of wind and then balanced herself on her left hind leg to dodge. The air cutter attack missed her by a hair.

"Whoa! Good dodging skills, Vixie!" Yan said.

Tail still aglow, Vixie did a pirouette and launched the golden stars again. They homed in on their target.

Zubat flew as fast as he could, but Aquila knew her pokémon had no chance of escaping the attack. The stars finally caught up with the tired Zubat, knocking it unconscious.

"You did it, Vixie!" Mewtwo said, waiting for her with open arms. "Come here!"

"Vee!" Vixie cried out, slowly making her way to her trainer.

"Congratulations!" Aquila said. "You've earned the arrow badge." She gave Mewtwo a badge that looked like a chevron colored half orange half green. "It represents both the flying type pokémon's ability to cut through the air like an arrow, and the conifer forest that surrounds Cyan City."

Mewtwo took the badge with his right hand while holding his eevee with his left arm. "Thank you!"

"Nice work, you two!" Yan said to Mewtwo and Vixie.

"Now it's time to take my pokémon to the center to get them healed. Then we could continue to look around until Dr. Windmill can give us that liquid."

Yan smiled. "You lead, I'll follow."

* * *

Back at Dr. Windmill's place, Mewtwo picked up the five liter container that had the liquid, then he put it inside his backpack. "It's getting kind of heavy," he said.

"I'm sorry about any discomfort it may cause," Dr. Windmill said, "but that's the quantity that Boulder has requested."

"I can take it. I'll make sure the scientists get the liquid as soon as possible."

* * *

At Team Rocket's secret headquarters, Giovanni was checking out two photos of Mewtwo on his laptop. One photo showed the genetic pokémon in true color while the other showed Mewtwo's body in mostly red, with his face being green with yellow in the forehead area while everything else was dark blue around him. In both, Mewtwo looked befuddled.

"It really is … It survived! Mewtwo is alive!" Giovanni said. "The time has come for me to claim my weapon." He lifted his phone off his desk and prepared to make a call.

* * *

Back at Pewter City's museum, Mewtwo gave Boulder the plastic container that held the precious liquid.

"Thank you!" Boulder said. "We'll get to work right away and we'll notify Professor Oak about the experiment's progress. You can come in any time and check out what goes on here."

Mewtwo smiled at him. "I'll drop by when I have time, but now I have to train my pokémon. Good bye and good luck with your experiments!"

"Bye! We wish you safe traveling, Mewtwo!"

"Thanks!"

And so, Mewtwo and Yan left the museum's laboratory, having completed Oak's request.

Yan looked at his traveling friend. "Where is our next stop?"

"Saffron City," Mewtwo said. "I've been trying to get there faster, but every time, something just has to come up!"

"You want … to challenge Sabrina." Yan felt a chill run down his spine just speaking her name.

Mewtwo nodded. "I also want to ask her to teach me how to control my psychic powers."

"Look, Mewtwo, Sabrina is … not like the other gym leaders. I've heard really scary stories about her. How she can easily control psychic type pokémon with her mind, how she can take control of people's bodies, and how she always holds a creepy doll that seems to be alive. I don't think she's the type to take requests from anyone."

"Come on!" Mewtwo said. "She can't be that bad if she's still allowed to be a gym leader."

"What if the pokémon league's members are too scared to kick her out?"

"Let's not judge her before we meet her, Yan. What people say about a person and how that person truly is may differ."

As the two travelers walked down the street, nearly at the exit of Pewter City, someone yelled, "Electrode! Explosion!"

The ground beneath Mewtwo's feet got blown up, sending him flying into an alley.

Yan ran after him. "Mewtwo! Are you okay?"

As Mewtwo got back up, he saw Mitch behind Yan. "That guy ..."

"Sandslash! Dig! Now!" Mitch ordered.

Before Mewtwo could figure out what was going on, the pokémon Mitch called out to burst from beneath the ground, throwing Mewtwo into a wall of the alley.

Yan stepped in front of Mewtwo and stared at the redhead guy. "Why are you attacking him?"

Mitch brought out a poké ball that was half white and half black with a large yellow H wrapped around the top hemisphere. "I was sent to capture him. I am just following orders. Now scram, kid! I don't need any collateral damage on my 'tab'."

"I won't let you hurt him!" Yan said.

Trying to get back up, Mewtwo said, "Yan, go get the police! I can call my pokémon to defend me."

"But what if you lose?"

"I won't lose. I've defeated this guy before. I'm stronger now."

"Just stay out of this, kid!" Mitch said before throwing the ball at Mewtwo.

Yan punched it away.

"Charles! Help me out here!" Mewtwo said as he threw Charles' poké ball.

Charles materialized in front of Mitch, blocking his view of Mewtwo.

"I'm going to get the police," Yan said. "Don't let him capture you!" Then he ran.

"So, you got a charizard now," Mitch said. "It's kind of a poor choice, seeing that I have two pokémon out that could put a number on it."

A pokémon looking almost like a normal poké ball only one head shorter than Mewtwo's height came out of the hole where the explosion took place. "Electrode!" it said.

"Slaaaash!" the sandslash yelled as it came out of the ground while hitting Charles in the chin with a lot of mud. It was then that Mewtwo managed to see the creature. It had thick red spikes on its back, two long ears and a spike similar to them on its forehead, long claws on its hands, and its skin was golden.

Finally managing to get back up, Mewtwo reached out for his charizard. "Charles!"

Mitch smirked. "Is the mud hurting your pet? Go on! Just order him to fly!"

"Lectrode!" Mitch's electrode said, mimicking its owner's expression while sending out small sparks from its body.

Mewtwo restricted his telepathic messages to reach only his charizard. _"Charles! He expects you to fly, so dig instead!"_

Charles looked at the ground. It was covered in concrete. His claws wouldn't really be useful in digging through, so he chose to blow fire on the concrete to melt it. Then he dug his way underneath the ground, making Mitch stare in awe.

 _"Now dig under them!"_ Mewtwo ordered.

Mitch looked around, trying to figure out where Charles would come from next. "What's it doing?"

The electrode and sandslash got hit by Charles' dig attack, getting knocked out.

"Well played, you mutant!" Mitch said as he brought out two poké balls. "Sandslash! Electrode! Come back!"

As the Team Rocket member was recalling his pokémon, Mewtwo and Charles tried to escape.

Mitch threw another poké ball, saying, "Not so fast! Golbat! Confuse ray on the charizard!"

Golbat materialized and emitted a bright purple light from its body. Charles tried to target Golbat so he could unleash a fire blast on it, but the light caused him to feel extremely dizzy. He tripped and hit the wall with his head.

Mewtwo ended up confused as well due to looking at Golbat's confuse ray, but he still managed to run to his pokémon's side. "Charles!"

"Your charizard isn't going to save you. I've taught Golbat a new attack, so it's time to test it. Golbat! Use Toxic on the charizard!"

Golbat spat a thick, purple liquid that landed on Charles' snout.

"Good luck getting out of this one," Mitch told Mewtwo.

"Charles! Get up! We have to get out of here!"

Regaining his consciousness after hearing his trainer, Charles tried to get back on his feet. The confusion still lingered, and the effects of toxic started to give him nausea. He was unable to maintain his balance, collapsing at Mewtwo's feet.

"Charles! Come back!" Mewtwo said, getting Charles to retreat into his poké ball. _Now what? Buzz wouldn't do well against Golbat. Maybe Vixie could …_

"Golbat! Use shadow ball!" Mitch ordered while pointing at Mewtwo.

"Baaat!" Golbat said as it formed a black and purple ball of energy in its mouth. It then blew it toward Mewtwo, who ended up sprawled on the ground upon impact.

Mitch put his hand into his pants' left pocket. "I think I've weakened you enough. Let's see if I can capture you." He brought out the same poké ball from earlier that was colored black, white and yellow. He swung his arm and then threw the ball at Mewtwo.

Being hit by the ball, Mewtwo felt that his body was starting to melt. Then he was no longer in a solid state. He was just a red light that began to lose the shape he used to have, leaving his backpack to drop. The strange poké ball pulled him towards its hollow center. When it was done, he found himself in complete darkness, feeling as if he was curled up inside it. While it seemed comfortable, his mind was not capable of resting at all.

 _I cannot let him capture me. If he can control me, he can control my pokémon. He will make them do evil deeds. I need to break free. For my pokémon's sake, this cannot be my destiny!_

The poké ball shook only once after landing, because Mewtwo caused it to open up, regaining his freedom.

 _I need to get out of here!_

"You're not going anywhere!" Mitch said, throwing another one of those balls.

Mewtwo managed to dodge it while grabbing his backpack with his right hand and dragging it away. The dizziness didn't allow him to walk like a biped anymore, so he had to crawl. He felt something hit his back. It was another ball, followed by another moment of being absorbed into the trap that humans built for pokémon.

"Too slow!" Mitch said.

"Gol! Bat!" his golbat said, displaying an evil grin.

The poké ball shook once, twice … Mewtwo broke free again.

Mitch frowned. "Oh, shoot! It was so close!" He readied another ball and then exchanged the frown for a smirk. "I still have two more ultra balls, so my chances of capturing you are still pretty high."

Mewtwo tried reaching out for his backpack once more, but Mitch didn't allow him the second he needed. The ultra ball landed on Mewtwo's left shoulder, sucking him in.

 _If I could just break free from these final two …_

The ball shook once and then got popped open by Mewtwo, who was free once more.

"Damn it, just stay in there already!" Mitch said. "Don't make me use excessive force! You're not gonna like it if we get to that point."

Mewtwo glared daggers at the redhead. "I will not be brought down so easily!"

"Oh, we'll see about that, Mewtwo."

The last ultra ball was thrown with such force that the genetic pokémon was sure it was going to leave a mark the next time he would come out of it.

Mitch lowered his hat's visor so the sun could not mess with his view of the ultra ball before him. "You don't stand a chance."

The ball shook once, twice, thrice ...

▶ **To be continued.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Your Worst Nightmare**

The ultra ball lay still on the concrete, its button glowing red.

Mitch waited for it to click so he could finally pick it up, but the process seemed to be taking longer than he expected.

A blue glow engulfed the ultra ball, which then exploded, releasing Mewtwo from its hold.

"You will not be my master!" Mewtwo said, materializing with azure glowing eyes. Then he felt the pain on his forehead and immediately put his right hand over the sore spot there while flinching. "Ouch!"

"I'm not the one who wants you," Mitch said, searching his pants' right pocket and bringing out a completely black poké ball.

Mewtwo started to wiggle his tail. He wanted to run, but the dizziness made it nearly impossible for him to take more than one step without falling over. All he could do was hope that the effects of confuse ray would wear off before he'd run out of stamina.

Mitch threw the black poké ball. "Go, Hellhound!"

His chosen pokémon materialized in front of Mewtwo and howled with all three of its heads.

Mewtwo gasped. "What is that thing?"

Each of the mysterious pokémon's heads had two ivory horns curled toward its back. Its body was mostly black, but its snouts and abdomen were orange. Some white, rib-like bony structures decorated its back. It had a similar collar over the back of its neck, and between the tips of the collar it had an oval growth with two holes – making the growth look almost like it was a mouthless face. Two rings of bone surrounded each of the creature's legs. Its tail, which ended in a pointy, arrow-shaped tip, whipped the air relentlessly.

"Since you're a psychic type, it's your worst nightmare!" Mitch said to Mewtwo. "Hellhound! Center head! Snarl!"

Hellhound took in air from all three of its heads and then formed a ball of black and purple aura in the mouth of its central head. Then it unleashed the attack toward Mewtwo, sending him flying a meter away.

A being was watching the event while hiding behind a dumpster in the alley.

Mewtwo got back up. Feeling the pain all over his chest, he wrapped his arms around it. "You … will never … capture me."

Mitch gave him a serious stare while saying, "Look, you hairless cat, I didn't want it to get to this point. All you had to do was stay in the ultra ball and I'd not have to use a dark type against you. Now that I'm forced to use great balls instead of ultra ones, I have to weaken you." He searched through his pants' left pocket and brought out a ball that had a white bottom and a blue top with two red stripes. "Just stay in the ball and things won't get any worse for you." He threw the great ball.

Mewtwo tried to dodge it but Hellhound pinned him to the ground with its right paw. The ball hit Mewtwo and absorbed him, landing next to Hellhound.

Mitch watched as the great ball shook once. When he saw that it opened up and allowed Mewtwo to get out again, he lowered his cap so that his eyes were no longer visible, then said, "Hellhound … looks like we'll have to get brutal."

Hellhound growled at Mewtwo, who was trying his best to crawl away from the three-headed monster.

"Bite it, now!" Mitch ordered while pointing at Mewtwo.

Hellhound's heads opened their mouths, revealing their sharp fangs. The beast was about to jump toward Mewtwo, but its attack was stopped when a creature landed while scratching the snouts of all three heads along the way.

"What?!" Mitch said, noticing the small pokémon that stood between Hellhound and Mewtwo.

Mewtwo recognized it. "Meowth? Is that you?"

"Meow, yeah! Get out of here before it gets rid of me!" Meowth said, staring at him over the shoulder.

"No, I'm not leaving without you again! The professor–"

"Run, you twerp! Run!" Meowth ordered, then turned his head to glare at Hellhound while his hairs stood on end.

Mewtwo had no choice but to grab his backpack and run away. His dizziness was gone, so he could make it out of there if he ran. _But what about Meowth?_

"Hellhound! Throw that meowth into the dumpster and let's go after our target!" Mitch ordered.

Hellhound used its left paw to smack Meowth and send him flying straight into the dumpster with ease. Then it and its master gave chase to Mewtwo, easily catching up to him.

"Where do you think you're going, mutant?" Mitch asked. "Hellhound! Left and right heads, snarl!"

The three-headed beast's side heads charged up the snarl and shot it at Mewtwo, sandwiching him between the dark auras that exploded upon impact.

"I was … almost there ..." Mewtwo said, looking at the bright end of the alley. The footsteps of his enemies were getting closer and closer. "Meowth took a hit for me, and I … couldn't even escape and get help."

"Now, do you give up or do you want more?" Mitch asked, bringing out another great ball. He prepared to throw it, but then he heard something.

His golbat flew in, shouting, "Gooooo-ooooool! Gooooo-ooooool! Gooooo-ooooool!"

Mitch immediately realized what it was. "A police siren. We gotta get out of here!"

Mewtwo felt slightly relieved hearing that news. Yan probably managed to contact Officer Jenny.

"Golbat! Come back!" Mitch said, recalling Golbat into its poké ball. "Hellhound! Use smog to create a smokescreen!"

Hellhound opened all three of its mouths and blew a thick, black smoke that spread in the area fast, making it difficult to see anything while Mitch hopped on the dark pokémon's back.

"Let's go!" Mitch said, causing Hellhound to run with him through the smog, heading toward the other end of the alley.

Mewtwo coughed while dragging himself over the ground, trying to make his way out of the alley. He could hear the siren approach his location. He sent out a telepathic message. "I'm here! Help me, please!"

Officer Jenny arrived on her motorcycle, along with Yan, who sat behind her. As soon as she saw Mewtwo, she parked at the alley's entrance. "What happened here?"

Mewtwo could finally get back on his feet. "The Team Rocket guy left. He made his three-headed pokémon fill the place with smoke." He looked behind. "Meowth's still there! I have to get him!"

The officer and the youngster followed him to the dumpster. They waited for him to search through all the trash in there, but he was disappointed when he finished.

"Were you looking for the talking meowth?" Yan asked.

"Yes, he distracted Mitch's pokémon and told me to escape," Mewtwo said. "Meowth got thrown into this dumpster, I'm sure of it. But … he's not here anymore. I hope he got away during the commotion. Unless … Team Rocket captured him."

Yan sighed. "I wish I had stayed here to see that Meowth."

"No. You did well by going after the police. I would have been captured by now if Mitch hadn't been warned by his golbat about the police siren."

Officer Jenny searched through a list of people's photographs on a tablet device. "What does this Mitch person look like? We have no records of a Team Rocket member with that name."

"He's as tall as I am, has red hair, amber eyes, wears black clothes ..." Mewtwo said.

"No such member is known," she said. "Either he's a new member, or he has never been caught red-handed. However ..." She closed the list of criminals and chose a different category on her tablet. "Could it be?" She selected the photograph of one teenager that had red hair and amber eyes, matching the description Mewtwo had provided. "Does this young man look like him?"

Mewtwo looked at the photograph. "He looks almost like him. But … something is different in this photo. His face has slightly different proportions."

"This teenager went missing from the Celadon Orphanage four years ago. His name is Mitchwell Rogers. Nobody has reported any sighting of him since his disappearance. If this Team Rocket member really is him, I'm not sure how the orphanage staff will react to the news, but I will let them know about this as soon as we can confirm it's him."

Mewtwo had a sad look on his face while still looking at the photo. "What could have driven him to go with those crooks?"

"Teenagers, man," Yan said. "Most of them like to be rebellious, mean, and loud. I hope I won't turn out to be like that when I'll become a teen."

The thought of Yan becoming such a jerk terrified Mewtwo. He could only hope his little human friend would stick to his morals and be a friend to all innocent pokémon and people.

"If you ever see him again, please contact the police right away," Officer Jenny said.

"Right," Mewtwo said, nodding. "But first, I must visit Professor Oak to address an important issue. Yan, we're going back to Pallet Town."

* * *

Mewtwo and Yan took a taxi to get to destination safely. The driver found it weird that a kid and a large, humanoid feline pokémon would choose to go by cab, but he didn't comment on the situation. He thought that maybe the kid's parents assigned the pokémon as a guardian.

"We're almost there," Mewtwo said to Yan. "Remember, when the car parks, we look around before getting out of the car. Mitch could be lurking anywhere."

"Got it."

As soon as the taxi stopped, Mewtwo and the youngster partially opened the doors of the car and looked everywhere to make sure the coast was clear.

"Good. He's not around here," Mewtwo said, leaving the car.

Yan paid for the ride. "Thank you, mister!"

The driver smiled at him and said, "You're welcome, kid. Take care!"

Once Mewtwo and the youngster were outside, the taxi left and they went toward Professor Oak's laboratory.

A golbat flew into their view and stared at them from above.

"That pokémon … It's Mitch's golbat!" Mewtwo said.

"That means Mitch might be nearby too!" Yan said.

"Let's get inside Oak's laboratory before I get another poké ball thrown at me!"

Mewtwo rang the doorbell and hoped that the professor would answer fast.

"I'll be right there!" Oak said from inside. He opened the door and smiled the moment he saw Mewtwo in front of him. "Ah, welcome back, Mewtwo!"

"Sir, we need to get inside right away!" Mewtwo said.

"Oh, my! Come in! What's wrong?"

As the genetic pokémon and the kid went inside the laboratory, Golbat continued to hover and watch until the door was closed.

* * *

"I feared that this problem would eventually come up," Oak said, standing before his guests. "You are, after all, a pokémon. Until you gain the status of being captured, you are not safe from any poké balls thrown at you."

Mewtwo stared at the ground while sitting on a sofa along with Yan. "So … that means … someone has to capture me." He turned his head toward the youngster.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Yan said. "I'm too young to be a legit pokémon trainer."

"Well, someone has to do it. Professor, could you … capture me?"

Oak looked into Mewtwo's wide, purple eyes. He had trained various pokémon, but none of them possessed such intelligence and goals as Mewtwo. "It would be an honor to capture you, but I'd rather not."

"Sir, if you won't capture me, then Team Rocket will. I'd prefer to be captured by an ally than by the enemy. Who knows what power I have inside me? They could use me as a weapon, and I do not want that fate."

"I understand, Mewtwo, but it would be quite a pity to register you as my pokémon when you aim to be a trainer. Furthermore, another problem may arise."

Mewtwo lowered his left ear. "What problem?"

"If they realize that they cannot capture you, they will come for me once they figure out who owns you," the professor said. "Your fate would be in my hands, and while I'd do my best to not let the poké ball get stolen, I don't think I could protect it forever. I'm getting old, Mewtwo. You should seek someone strong to capture you, if you want your poké ball to be protected."

"Then how could I safely get out there to look for such a person, given the situation?"

"Well, I'm sure we could figure something out. In the meantime, would you two care for some tea?"

"Yes, please," Mewtwo said.

"Sure!" Yan said.

The professor left them in his guest room and went into the kitchen.

Yan looked at his friend and asked, "Do ya really want to be captured?"

"Well … I'd rather be in charge of my fate than to be owned by someone, even if that someone wouldn't take on the actual trainer role," Mewtwo said.

"Yeah, and being captured by someone probably wouldn't look good for your image as a pokémon trainer either."

Mewtwo pondered his situation for a bit. Then he looked at his backpack, which lay next to the sofa. He grabbed it and searched through its side pocket, extracting one of his unused poké balls. "I hope this works."

Yan watched him in complete silence, wondering what the plan was.

Staring at the ceiling, Mewtwo swung his right arm to throw the spherical device from his hand. As he released it, he said, "Poké ball, go!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Paths We Take**

Professor Oak returned with the tea on a red tray and found Yan still on the couch, no Mewtwo, and a poké ball in the middle of the room.

Yan kept staring at the ball, which lay still.

Oak broke the silence. "So … did you capture him anyway?"

"That's not my poké ball," Yan said, still expecting his friend to pop back out.

"Then who–"

The ball finally opened, releasing a figure made of red light which materialized as Mewtwo.

"I am my own master now," Mewtwo said as he smirked.

Oak stared wide-eyed at him. "You've captured yourself?"

"It was the only solution I could find. This way nobody gets endangered to protect my poké ball. I will protect it myself."

"Clever!" the professor said. "Now that your poké ball has modified your energy configuration, it will keep you safe from other poké balls by making them bounce off you."

"Perfect. Now I can go out there and face Team Rocket again!" Mewtwo said while pointing at a window. "But …" He stared at the floor. "There's just one more problem. The guy who tried to capture me, and whose name is Mitch, has this really powerful pokémon with three heads ..."

"Three heads? Is it a dodrio?"

"I don't know; I didn't have time to check it with my pokédex."

The professor rubbed his chin. "Could you give me more details about it?"

Mewtwo looked at him and then thought about the image of the strange pokémon. "It is almost entirely black with some orange under its belly and on its snouts, it walks on four legs, its heads have two horns each, and it has a long, thin tail. Mitch said it is a dark type."

"Hmm … I was about to assume it's a hydreigon, but hydreigon doesn't have four legs, and it doesn't even walk – it levitates. It also has no orange parts, but with some occurrences of mutations it is quite possible for one with different coloration to be born, as was the case with your beedrill. It is also a dark type in addition to being dragon type. But hydreigon's heads don't have only two horns."

"Oh, also, the guy called it Hellhound."

"I don't remember any pokémon with that species name," Oak said, "and if it is like a canine, there are none with three heads known so far. Either it is an undiscovered species, or Hellhound is just its nickname."

"I'll have to find out what it is, so that I could figure out what to counter it with," Mewtwo said.

"Well, now that you won't have to worry about being captured, just use your pokédex on it and maybe you'll find out. The ones who made that pokédex covered more information about pokémon than I did, so chances are high that the three-headed one is included there."

"Good idea, Professor!"

"Anyway, here is your tea," the professor said while putting the two teacups on the table in front of the sofa.

"Thank you," Mewtwo said, taking one of the cups. He took a sip and enjoyed the sweet liquid that surrounded his tongue before swallowing.

"Thanks, Professor!" Yan said, proceeding to drink the tea as well.

* * *

Mewtwo and Yan went back on the street, preparing to head for Saffron City once again. They knew they were bound to run into Mitch and his strange pokémon again, but they'd have fewer worries now that Mewtwo was protected against poké balls.

Mitch's Golbat saw the duo and went to report to its master. Mewtwo and Yan spotted the flying pokémon, but they were no longer hiding from its view.

"I've read its mind. Mitch will be waiting for us in Viridian Forest," Mewtwo said. "He's in for a big surprise once we'll meet again."

* * *

Mitch waited behind a tree in the Viridian Forest. He was accompanied by the lavender-haired guy dressed in a white Team Rocket uniform, and a black-haired guy dressed in the usual gray Team Rocket uniform.

Golbat landed next to Mitch and said, "Gol baat! Gololol!" as he signaled with his wings.

Mitch nodded. Then he looked at the other two grunts and said, "Mewtwo's coming this way. Get ready!"

It took about five minutes before Mewtwo and Yan arrived in the area where the Rocket grunts expected them to come. Mitch began to search through his left pocket as he prepared to reveal himself from behind the tree. "Back for more, I see!"

Mewtwo and Yan stopped as soon as they saw him.

"You won't even have a chance to escape this time," Mitch said, bringing a poké ball out of his pocket. It seemed similar to the great balls he threw at Mewtwo last time, but the top half was purple, and a white M decorated the area above its button.

"What kind of poké ball is that? I've never seen any like it before," Yan said, worried about the ball's possible differing mechanics.

"This is a master ball. Our agents have raided the Silph Co. headquarters and took their blueprints. So now we can have as many of these things as we want, which is bad news for you. Even if you can dodge one, we'll always have more to throw at you. And the best part is … it only takes _one_ hit to instantly capture you with it." He threw the master ball straight at Mewtwo's forehead.

Mewtwo stared at the ball as it approached him fast. _I hope it can't bypass the shielding._

The master ball almost made contact with Mewtwo, but then it was repelled while a blue shield surrounded his body. The ball bounced off the shield, landing at his feet.

"What the … ? How?!" Mitch said.

His helpers also revealed themselves and stared in awe at the scene.

Mewtwo grinned at them. "Didn't expect that now, did you?" Suddenly, he got covered in master balls that were thrown at him by the other agents. Breaking out of the ball pile, he said, "Ah, come on, guys! It was clear the first time that it wasn't going to work!"

"Great," the guy with lavender hair said. "What do we do now, Mitch?"

Mitch scowled at Mewtwo. "Someone's already captured you. It's that kid, isn't it?" He pointed at Yan.

"No," Mewtwo said. "I have captured myself. I am my own master!"

Mitch gasped. "Y-you … But … That's not … Ah, whatever!" He stomped the ground. "It's not like I can't just weaken you and then let the other Rocket members capture you in some other way." He searched through his right pocket and then brought out the black poké ball. "Hellhound! Go!"

Hellhound materialized in front of Mewtwo and Yan, growling at them.

Mewtwo grabbed his pokédex and proceeded to analyze the unusual pokémon with it.

The pokédex started to spew information. "Houndoom, the dark pokémon. Evolved form of houndour. Its types are: dark and fire. This pokémon is known for its eerie howls that made people think it was the grim reaper. They hunt and live in packs of houndoom and houndour. The one with its horns raked sharply toward the back is usually the pack's leader. Its flame attacks contain toxins that can leave its enemy with a burn that will hurt forever. These toxins are produced in higher amounts if this pokémon is angry."

Mewtwo stared at the image the pokédex showed. He compared it to Hellhound's appearance. "It looks almost the same, but … why does yours have three heads?"

Hellhound growled and showed its teeth. Mewtwo felt its anger. Then it lowered its heads and started to whine by whistling through its noses. Mewtwo felt its sadness.

"Aww, don't let that cat bring you down, buddy!" Mitch said while kneeling and wrapping his right arm around Hellhound's collar. "You're better than any normal houndoom!"

Mewtwo glared at Mitch. "What have you guys done to that pokémon?"

"We haven't done anything!" Mitch said, standing up. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

Mewtwo's glare faded away as he peeked into Mitch's mind. The guy was defending his houndoom, and was angered because Mewtwo brought up Hellhound's unusual number of heads.

"Hellhound! Left and right heads, snarl!" Mitch ordered.

Hellhound formed the dark auras in his left and right heads' mouths and then blew them at Mewtwo, who managed to duck just in time to avoid the blasts.

Mewtwo looked at the youngster. "Yan! Go and find the police!"

"Not this time, kid!" Mitch said. He looked at the Rocket grunts and pointed at Yan. "Stop him!"

The grunts blocked the youngster's way. The lavender-haired guy summoned his koffing while the other guy brought out his rattata.

Yan gritted his teeth while taking out the poké ball from his shorts' right pocket. Nutcracker was still growing his whiskers back, yet he was needed if his owner was to get past the two criminals. "Nutcracker! Help us out!"

Nutcracker came out of his poké ball and showed his fangs at the koffing and rattata. He could barely keep his balance, feeling like the world kept tilting every time he held his head even slightly lower on one side than on the other. His new whiskers barely managed to show their tips on his cheeks.

"Listen, Nutcracker!" Yan said, holding his right hand over the raticate's back. "Charge a hyper beam and hit them both!"

Nutcracker nodded and began powering up his attack by holding his mouth open.

Mewtwo kept jumping out of the way of Hellhound's attacks. He had brought Charles out. Luckily, he had managed to get to the pokémon center in Viridian City earlier to heal his team.

Nutcracker used hyper beam and hit the koffing and the rattata, knocking them both out. The Rocket grunts recalled their pokémon and tried to capture Yan by themselves, but Yan put his raticate back in the poké ball and evaded them, running away.

"Drat!" Mitch said. "He's gonna call the cops on me again. Hellhound! Let's finish this quickly! Dark pulse, all out!"

All of Hellhound's mouths opened and a light-purple orb formed in them. Then he fired a beam of black circles with purple auras at Mewtwo and Charles at the same time.

Mewtwo was knocked back a meter and was on the ground while Charles endured the hit, his tail flame burning bright blue.

"I won't stop until I've defeated you!" Mitch said to Mewtwo. Then he looked at the grunts. "You guys get the truck ready! I'll give you a call as soon as I've downed this cat."

The grunts nodded and then ran through the forest until Mewtwo could no longer see them. He got back up, still sore from the damage the dark attack had done to his skin. His eyes locked onto Hellhound. _Dark and fire. I don't know what weakness dark pokémon_ _have, but I know for sure what fire types are weak to._

Charles was the only one to hear Mewtwo's voice in his head. It said, _"Charles! Dig and then attack Hellhound from underneath!"_

"Dark pulse again, Hellhound!" Mitch ordered.

Charles dug his way under ground, leaving Mewtwo vulnerable. The dark pulse hit the genetic pokémon in the chest and knocked him into a tree.

"That … hurt," Mewtwo said while wrapping his arms around his chest.

"Hellhound, watch out! The charizard is trying to attack you from below!" Mitch said.

Hellhound felt vibrations beneath his paws and stepped to the side, making Charles' dig attack miss.

" _Darn it! He dodged it!"_ Mewtwo said to Charles. _"We need to think of something else."_

"Rizaaaard!" Charles said as he hit Hellhound's heads with his right wing.

"Hoooound!" Hellound yelped.

"Bite it!" Mitch ordered.

"Doom!" Hellhound howled as he used all three of his mouths to chomp the wing Charles had attacked with.

"Chaaaaaaaa!" Charles cried out in pain.

"Charles! Oh no ..." Mewtwo said.

Mitch smirked. "Tear its wing apart. Make sure it never gets to fly again."

Mewtwo gasped. "Charles, think of something!"

"Charizaaaard?!" Charles said while shrugging. How was he supposed to know what to do? He wasn't a trainer.

The houndoom kept tugging at the wing, trying his best to cause damage. It was pretty difficult, because the skin of a charizard was not really as fragile as it looked.

Not taking it anymore, Charles decided to take matters into his own hands again. His right hand started to glow white. He remembered how much it hurt when he had received a brick break hit from Mewtwo during their fight, so he focused all his power into his hand as it landed on the back of the houndoom.

"Houuuuuuuuuu!" Hellhound howled, feeling the pain in his entire spine.

Charles' wing was free once more, with only a few scratches and teeth marks on its skin.

"Good job, Charles!" Mewtwo said, smiling.

Hellhound lay on the ground, whining because the pain did not allow him to stand on his legs.

"Well-played, cat," Mitch said. "Hellhound, that's enough. You deserve some rest." He recalled the houndoom into the black ball. _I'm running out of time. I'll have to play dirty if this operation is to succeed._

Mewtwo heard Mitch's thoughts and he knew things were about to get complicated.

Mitch brought out not one but _two_ poké balls from his right pocket. "Porygon2! Volcarona! Team up! We've got a situation here."

A birdlike pokémon with a mostly red body and blue underbelly, tail, wings – or maybe they were legs – and beak took shape. "Porygon … 2!" it said in a robotic voice.

"Volcaaa!" the insectoid pokémon from the second ball cried out. The creature had six red wings with black spots. Its dark gray head had a red horn on each side of its face. Its two blue eyes had black crosses dividing them into four pieces. White fuzz decorated its torso, allowing only its four dark gray legs to be seen. Its tail was of the same color as the legs, but with light blue sides with black dots.

"You guys sure like to gang up on trainers," Mewtwo said.

"Actually," Mitch said, "I think this is pretty fair. I've got two pokémon and I'm battling two pokémon."

Mewtwo pointed at him. "But you just get to sit back and give the orders! I have to fight _and_ give orders at the same time!"

"It's not my fault that you chose to play the role of trainer while being a pokémon."

That made Mewtwo scowl at Mitch. "Fine then! I will deal with one of your pokémon myself and let Charles handle the other one. I'll keep my other ones as backup in case he faints."

"Porygon2! Zap cannon on the charizard!" Mitch ordered while pointing at Charles.

Porygon2 charged up a yellow ball of electricity in front of its beak and then launched it at Charles. It knocked Charles out instantly.

"Charles! Return!" Mewtwo said, bringing Charles back and preparing to use his next pokémon. "Buzz! I choose you!"

"Bzz!" Buzz announced his arrival to the battlefield.

"Volcarona! Bug buzz!" Mitch ordered while pointing at Mewtwo.

At first Mewtwo could not understand if Mitch wanted Volcarona to attack Buzz or if that was the name of the attack. When he got struck by red waves and heard buzzing sounds inside his head, it was confirmed that he was the target of the attack known as bug buzz.

Buzz wasn't sure what to do, since he wasn't given any orders yet.

"Buzz! Use sludge bomb on that one!" Mewtwo said while pointing at Porygon2.

Buzz aimed his right needle and shot the sludge ball into Porygon2's face.

"Hmm, that could be quite a nuisance," Mitch said. "Volcarona! Flare blitz on the beedrill!"

"Volcaaa!" Volcarona said before surrounding itself in a ball of orange fire.

"Buzz! Fly out of Volcarona's way!" Mewtwo ordered while running toward Porygon2.

Volcarona flew after Buzz while still being covered in flames, but Buzz managed to hide between a tree's branches. The flare blitz attack failed, and the flames dissolved away.

Meanwhile, Mewtwo managed to land a brick break attack on Porygon2, causing it to faint.

"That was an interesting strategy you used there," Mitch said, "distracting my Volcarona while you went for my normal type with your fighting attack." He brought out a poké ball. "Porygon2, return! Let's make things worse for your beedrill. Sandslash! Go!"

Sandslash came out of its poké ball and awaited orders.

"Sandslash! Climb up all threes and search for a green beedrill!" Mitch said.

"Slash!" Sandslash said while nodding. Then it started climbing the nearest tree.

"Volcarona! Use bug buzz on Mewtwo again!"

"Volcaaaa!" the creature said as it emitted the same red waves as before.

Mewtwo had a difficult time maintaining his focus. The pain inside his head was too much. To make things worse, his entire body seemed to be getting weaker as well. _What can I do? It appears that we are dealing with a bug-fire type and a ground type._

The bug buzz attack ended and Volcarona awaited the next order. Meanwhile, Sandslash was chasing Buzz through the trees, trying to land a claw on him.

Mewtwo sent a private telepathic message to his beedrill. _"Buzz! We need to figure out what works against these guys. Throw at Sandslash all you've got!"_

"Bzz!"

Sandslash tried to grab Buzz' left leg, but received a sludge shot to the face. It wiped it off with little effort.

Mewtwo checked Sandslash's mind and noticed that it wasn't too worried about the poison attacks.

"Volcarona! Use bug buzz on Mewtwo again!" Mitch ordered.

Mewtwo put his hands over his ears, hoping that the sound would cause him less pain than last time. It barely made a difference, but at least he was still standing. He had to think fast, because his body had been weakened further by the attack. He checked Volcarona's mind, hoping to find useful information about the creature. _Let's see … You fear the attacks of fliers._

Buzz kept flying away from Sandslash. He received another private message from Mewtwo.

" _Buzz! Volcarona is weak to flying attacks. You can fly, so use that to your advantage!"_

Buzz stopped flying through trees and dived toward Volcarona. White streaks of light formed around his body as he came crashing down into the large six-winged pokémon. The aerial ace attack was successful, making Volcarona struggle to get back up.

"Good job, Buzz! Now it's my turn!" Mewtwo said as he ran toward Volcarona. There were rocks in front of the opponent and he knew that fire types do not like rock-based attacks.

Buzz decided to help his trainer out and prepared to use aerial ace again.

"Volcarona! Heat wave! At both of them!" Mitch ordered.

Volcarona's wings started to emit flames.

Mitch suddenly realized something. He had just ordered his pokémon to use a strong fire-based attack _in a forest_. "I think this was a bad idea."

Volcarona flapped its wings and spread the flames toward Mewtwo and Buzz, successfully knocking the latter out.

Mewtwo still managed to execute the rock attack and knock out the volcarona, but his entire body was sore from the burns. He had his eyes closed, but when he opened them, he saw Mitch, who looked terrified about something.

"Volcarona! Return!" he said, getting his pokémon back into the ball.

 _Fire?_ Mewtwo turned around to see flames on the trees behind him. "Oh no! What have you done?"

"I wouldn't have used that attack if you and your beedrill hadn't decided to attack my volcarona at the same time!" Mitch said.

"Now the whole forest is going to burn down!" Mewtwo said, glaring at him.

Mitch held out a poké ball. "Sandslash! Return!"

Sandslash went back in its ball.

"Golbat! Let's get out of here!"

Golbat came down from the skies and followed its master.

Buzz woke up and noticed that the flames were close to him, so he flew toward Mewtwo and tried to get into his backpack.

"Buzz! Get in your poké ball!" Mewtwo said, bringing out the ball.

The beedrill got in the ball, safe from the flames – at least for as long as Mewtwo could keep away from the fire.

It took less than two minutes for the flames to extend from tree to tree and block Mewtwo's access to the path leading to Viridian City.

 _I guess I'll have to find another way out._ The path Mitch took would probably be safer, so Mewtwo went toward the place where he had last seen the Team Rocket member.

Pidgey and other flying pokémon flew out of the trees. Rattatas dug deep holes into the ground. Other pokémon that could not dig nor fly ran downwind, knowing that the fire had not spread there yet.

Mewtwo slowed down when he saw that he was getting close to the edge of a cliff. There was lots of water down there and there was no way he could reach the other side. His best bet was to walk along the edge of the cliff until he'd reach the end of the canyon. Hopefully he'd get there before the fire could reach him.

* * *

Yan and the Officer Jenny from Viridian City arrived at the edge of the forest and saw the dark smoke and the orange flames.

"No! Mewtwo!" Yan screamed.

The officer brought out her phone. "I'll call the fire department. This fire is out of control."

* * *

As Mewtwo continued to follow the edge of the cliff, he saw something move below. As he got closer, he realized that Mitch and his golbat were there between the cliff's top and the water. Golbat held on to its trainer's right hand and kept trying to lift him out of there.

"If it weren't for that swarm of beedrill ..." Mitch said as he tried to climb over the steep rocks.

"Mitch!"

"Oh no … The mutant found me," Mitch said.

Mewtwo lowered the upper half of his body over the cliff and reached out with his right hand. "Try to climb a little higher and then I'll pull you up!"

"Uh, no thanks, I'm fine!"

"You and I both know you're not really fine with hanging over a cliff," Mewtwo said. "Now keep climbing!"

"My hands and legs hurt. I can't climb any further at the moment."

"Bat-baaat!" Mitch's golbat said.

"Thank you, Golbat, but I'm afraid I'm starting to slip. This wouldn't have happened if Mewtwo hadn't knocked out Volcarona!"

Mewtwo glared at him. "Hey! You ordered Volcarona to attack me! What did you expect?"

"Yeah … what _did_ I expect?"

"Bat-baaat!" Golbat whined, still trying to lift its master to the top.

"Your Golbat really cares about you," Mewtwo said. He decided to look into Mitch's mind, since he may not ever get another chance, given the dangerous situation the guy was in.

* * *

Mitch's mind was full of fear at that moment, but past that fear there were pleasant memories coming to the surface. They were brought up because Mitch started to think about the best moments of his life in his possible final moments. There were fond memories of playing with the other kids in an orphanage, and of the surprise parties and feasts the staff had for the kids during Christmas and Thanksgivings Day. Mitch regretted running away from there, but he wanted to explore the oceans – a dream which Team Rocket promised to help him make true if he'd join them. Learning this, Mewtwo was convinced that Mitch was the orphan that Officer Jenny had told him about.

* * *

Golbat was getting tired, and its trainer was even more tired, but the pokémon refused to let go. It would flap its wings until they'd fall off if need be.

* * *

Mewtwo could see why Golbat was so devoted to his trainer. As a zubat, the pokémon entered the orphanage and got lost in it, breaking a multicolored desk lamp. Mitch took the blame for the damage and said that he had knocked the lamp down while playing with a ball. He fed the zubat in secret until he evolved into golbat and the staff finally found out about the pokémon. They allowed him to keep the golbat because it was friendly.

* * *

Mewtwo smiled at Mitch while still reaching out with his hand.

* * *

Looking deeper into Mitch's memories, he also found out that after Mitch ran away he met a male sandslash who kept trying to court a female sandslash but kept being rejected for having red spikes instead of brown ones. Mitch tried to help him impress the other sandslash – even going as far as to make Golbat pretend to lose to it in battles – but since it was all in vain, Sandslash decided to join Mitch. Porygon2 was a damaged porygon that had been scheduled for deletion by some Team Rocket scientists, but Mitch decided to keep it and try to fix it since the pokémon was capable of interacting with computers and Mitch dealt with coding and other computer-related things. He obtained and applied an upgrade to the virtual pokémon, turning it into porygon2.

* * *

"My hand … It's slipping," Mitch said, barely holding on to a rock. He couldn't raise either of his legs anymore.

* * *

Mewtwo continued to search through Mitch's mind and found out how Mitch befriended a voltorb that had been abandoned by its owner for exploding when least expected. It evolved into electrode after Mitch trained it to control its explosions. Volcarona was found by Mitch as a lost egg in a river. She hatched as a larvesta and became very attached to her trainer. Upon further searching by Mewtwo, the memory of Mitch meeting Hellhound came up. Hellhound was a barely alive houndour puppy that Mitch had found on the streets. He met the houndoom that was Hellhound's mother and he tried to bring the pup back to her, but she growled at them both. She refused to accept Hellhound and share her milk with the pup because of Hellhound's two extra heads, considered lowered fitness among houndoom. Mitch adopted the pup, but when he had to bottle-feed him, he had to make sure to split the milk from a single bottle into three bottles so that each head could be kept calm. Mitch was very proud when that pup grew up and evolved into the houndoom Mewtwo met.

* * *

Mewtwo tried to get closer to Golbat, hoping that he could grab the pokémon by a wing at least, but he still could not reach him. The sounds of the fire burning behind him worried him even more. If the flames would reach the bushes behind him, he'll have no choice but to try to jump into the water and hope he would … _he and Mitch_ would survive the fall.

Mitch gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up once more while Golbat kept trying to lift him. "It's no use, Golbat. My hand is almost completely numb, and my legs hurt."

"Baaaat ..." Golbat said, feeling that his wings were also starting to go numb. Still, he knew he had to keep flapping. He was the only chance Mitch had of getting back to the cliff's top.

Mitch's left hand slipped off the rock, and he ended up pulling Golbat down a bit. His left arm was no longer responding to his intent of moving it. "I'm sorry, Golbat." He saw that Golbat was still keeping him from falling, but once the pokémon would grow tired … it would be the end for both of them. "I love you, Golbat, but please … let me go."

"Bat-baaat!" Golbat cried out, shaking his head to decline his trainer's request. "Gol! Bat! Gol! Bat! Gol! Bat! Golbaaaaat!"

"Golbat is cheering on you," Mewtwo said. "He won't let go."

Mitch's legs gave up on him, making him fall and drag Golbat after him.

Golbat started to glow bright white and grew another, smaller pair of wings near his legs, while his ears grew longer. He became larger and purple, with wings that had green undersides. In spite of the exhaustion that still lingered within him, he found enough strength to create a whirlwind to help him lift Mitch toward Mewtwo.

Mewtwo was quick to grab Golbat's right wing and pull him and Mitch up. He feared that the weight could break Golbat's wing, but it was fine once everyone was at the top of the cliff.

Mitch sat on the ground, panting. "Thanks, Golbat," he said, patting Golbat on the head. "You've evolved into crobat to save me. Our friendship has come so far ..." Then he reached out with his right hand toward Mewtwo. When Mewtwo used his right hand to shake it, Mitch said, "Thank you as well, Mewtwo. I … I'm sorry."

The flames were approaching fast. Mewtwo, Mitch, and Golbat had only one escape route, which would lead to the end of the canyon. Mewtwo helped Mitch get up and walk by allowing the human to lean against him.

* * *

The firefighters and their trucks arrived and deployed eight giant pokémon that had two cannons on their backs and had tough shells as armor.

"Blastoise! Hydro cannon! Now!" one of the firefighters ordered.

The big pokémon launched sixteen jets of water and extinguished a large portion of the forest fire.

* * *

Mewtwo, Mitch, and Golbat turned around to see the flames die out while white steam spread all over the place.

"The firefighters are here," Mitch said. "That means … the police is also here." He frowned.

"Mitch … I've looked into your memories. You are the missing orphan an officer told me about. The people from the orphanage have been looking for you for four years. They want you back."

"I can't go back," Mitch said. "I've made my choice."

"You know, we have a lot in common, in spite of our species. We both take in pokémon that were rejected or abandoned, we both have dreams we follow, and we both have people who care about us. What I don't understand is … why you chose to join Team Rocket as a means of achieving your goals."

"You said you've searched through my memories. Wasn't the answer obvious? They pay me, and I save up the money to buy a submarine. In just one more year, I'll be on my own, exploring the depths of the oceans, and nobody will have to worry about me ever again."

"There are other ways of earning money, and they don't involve stealing or torturing pokémon for an organization of criminals," Mewtwo said. "You have your pokémon by your side. I'm sure that with their help you could achieve greater things than Team Rocket could ever allow you to achieve."

Mitch stared into Mewtwo's eyes with an expression of awe. "I ..." _To be honest, I never knew that was an option._ "I'll think about it." He turned around and walked away, followed by his crobat.

Mewtwo smiled at him. He could just immobilize Mitch and turn him in to the police, as the human was extremely weak at that moment. Yet he decided he'd rather let him choose whether he'd stay with Team Rocket or take a different path – although he hoped Mitch would pick the latter.

"Mewtwo!" It was Yan.

Mewtwo turned around to see the youngster and Viridian City's Officer Jenny.

"What happened here?" the officer asked.

"The battle with Team Rocket went out of control," Mewtwo said. "I am sorry it got to this point."

The officer looked around. "Where are the Rockets? Are they still alive?"

"I am not sure about the other two, but I know that one of the three Team Rocket members escaped to safety."

"I should have arrived here faster," Jenny said. "These crooks keep evading the police."

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Yan said, hugging Mewtwo.

"I'm glad you went after the police before the fire started," Mewtwo said, hugging him back. "I don't know what I would have done if you had been hurt in the whole mess."

"So, are we still going to Saffron City?"

Mewtwo nodded at the youngster. "Of course. I won't let this event stop me from getting there and unlocking my true potential."

Yan smiled. "Then let's go!"

As they walked away from the smoking burnt forest, the red sun began to set in the horizon, over the ocean.

▶ **To be continued.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Night of the Omanyte**

"Come on, Charles! Move those feet!" Mewtwo said while running through the night.

Charles panted while trying to keep up with his trainer. Even the little human was faster than him – another reason for him to be annoyed by humans. He would like nothing more than to use his flamethrower on that kid, but Mewtwo and the other humans would surely react violently if he did that.

Mewtwo looked behind at Charles again. "You ate half of our rations, so you really should burn some calories. Losing some weight will definitely benefit you."

"Yeah!" Yan said. "Then maybe you will be light enough to fly."

Charles growled at him.

Yan smirked in response. "Did I strike a nerve?"

The charizard blew some embers out of his nose while glaring at the little nuisance.

"Yan's right, you know," Mewtwo said. "All that fat is weighing you down. Don't you want to know what it's like to fly?"

Charles looked at his legs. They felt heavy, and their soles were sore. "Rrrrhhh ..." He wished he could fly so he could rest them for a while.

"Don't worry, we'll rest as soon as we get to Pewter City. We're almost there."

Yan's legs were also starting to hurt. "By rest do you mean just taking a brief pause or will we get some sleep too?"

Mewtwo halted. His companions did the same. Then they observed the starry sky.

"It's getting late," Yan said. He took his phone out of his left pocket and checked the time. "Almost 10 PM. Normally, I'd be in bed by now."

Staring at the less-than-full moon that rose from the horizon, Mewtwo said, "There's only one place where we could crash in for the night, but only if they accept our request."

* * *

"I should fire you for this, Mitchwell!" Giovanni said, giving his employee a nasty look.

Mitch grinned sheepishly. "The battle took an unexpected turn and–"

Giovanni cut him off. "I've heard about the forest fire. Do you have any idea how close your teammates were to being caught by the police?"

"Hey, they had a truck," Mitch said. "I had to run through the burning forest."

"You _caused_ that fire! I expected you to know better than to use fire-based attacks around trees."

"Well, Mewtwo sent some of his pokémon against mine, so I had to fight back with some that had an advantage over his."

Giovanni clasped his hands together over his desk. "You have a varied team, Mitchwell. You could have used any other attack if you knew how to play your cards right. I thought you were our best strategist, and yet you have managed to disappoint me today."

Mitch pulled his cap's visor over his eyes.

"You are dismissed until tomorrow," Giovanni said. "But you better come up with a plan to capture Mewtwo, or else I'll fire you."

Saying nothing, Mitch turned around while scowling. His eyes looked to his left as he walked away. _You won't get the satisfaction of firing me._

* * *

Mewtwo and his friends arrived in Pewter City again, all tired from so much running. Charles dropped like a cut tree onto the ground.

"Okay, Charles, now you can rest," Mewtwo said while bringing out Charles' ball. "Return to your poké ball!"

Charles never thought he would ever be so glad to get back in there, but after all that running, being turned into energy gave him a break from feeling his aching legs.

"You could get into your own ball too now," Yan said.

"Yeah, I could, but I have to talk to Mr. Boulder. I can't talk while inside a poké ball."

"Good point."

They walked through Pewter City until they reached the museum. In front of it, Mr. Boulder and Seymour were having a barbecue.

"They're still awake, so we might be in luck," Mewtwo told Yan.

As Boulder saw Mewtwo and the youngster approach, he got up from his lawn chair and said, "Good evening!"

Seymour also got up. "Welcome back! You're just in time. We were about to hit the sack. That … was an intentional rhyme."

Boulder sighed. "Why must you always break out in rhymes, Seymour?"

"Sorry. Old habits die hard."

"So, Mewtwo, are you here to check on our progress?" Boulder asked.

"Well, we are curious about the experiment, but we also want to ask you for a favor."

"Go ahead."

"We don't have any place to stay for the night, could you let us rest at your place, just for tonight, please?"

Boulder rubbed his chin. "Our lab only has six small rooms for us and the other scientists, but you could sleep on the couches in the museum's finished portion."

Mewtwo smiled. "Tank you. Couches are fine too."

Seymour asked, "Would you like some of this steak?"

"Uh, no thanks. We ate about half an hour ago."

Yan joined the discussion. "Are you gonna tell us about the experiment? I really wanna know if it was successful!"

"We're not just going to tell you. We will show you!" Seymour said.

* * *

Boulder opened the door that led to a dark room full of fossils and rocks. Even though there was a light switch right next to the entrance, he used a flashlight to illuminate the way. "I don't want to scare the little guy, so I'm leaving the room's light off."

They walked further inside. Skulls and other fossilized bones of ancient pokémon rested atop red, velvety pillows. Boxes full of slabs of stone that had plant shapes over them were scattered around the place. One small box contained a sphere of amber formed around a small insect.

"Here, Omy! Here boy!" Boulder called. "Don't be afraid, little one!"

The flashlight shone onto something that cast a large, tentacled, wiggling shadow on the wall.

Yan took a few steps back. "T-that's no little one! That's Cthulhu himself!

"Ah, don't worry. It's just his shadow. He's only slightly bigger than a rattata."

"Omy!" the blue-tentacled, gray-shelled creature said, quivering between two boxes.

"There you are!" Boulder said as he came closer to the pokémon.

"Aww! He's so cute!" Mewtwo said, approaching to see Omy better.

The omanyte hid in his shell.

"It's okay, Omy. Mewtwo won't hurt you," Boulder said as he lifted him off the ground. "The shell is kind of heavy. Would you like to hold him, Mewtwo?"

"Sure. I think I can handle it."

Boulder passed Omy to Mewtwo.

"He doesn't seem any heavier than how my backpack was when it was full," Mewtwo said.

Boulder pointed at the shell's lid. "Look! He's coming out."

Omy wiggled his tentacles out to check if there was anything in the way. Then he came out to peek and realized that he was being held in the air. Looking at the floor, he saw a pair of legs that didn't belong to a human. "Ny?"

"Hi!" Mewtwo said, smiling at the omanyte.

"Omaaa!" Omy said, swiftly retracting into his shell and closing its lid.

"I'm a pokémon too. I just want to be friends with you. Here, let's shake hands, and if anything scary happens, you can just hide back into your shell."

Omy brought out a tentacle while looking from behind the lid with one of his large, round eyes. He felt the warmth of Mewtwo's hand as it touched his blue appendage. Feeling safe, he came out. "Omy!" he said, closing his eyes and curling his side tentacles as if he were smiling.

"I'm Mewtwo. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Yan."

Omy shook hands with the youngster as well.

"I'm glad you finally came out of your shell, Omy," Boulder said. "I didn't expect a prehistoric pokémon to be so tame. Although this might be yet another reason for the omanyte's extinction."

"Well, you can make more of them now, right, Mr. Boulder?" Mewtwo asked.

"Yes, but first we must study how this one fares before we proceed to create more. After we acquire several more helix fossils, we'll be able to slowly revive the omanyte species as a whole."

"I'm glad we got to meet this ancient pokémon," Mewtwo said.

"I'm sure it's glad it met you too," Seymour said. "Anyway, let me show you where you will be staying for the night."

* * *

Mitch fiddled with the lock of a cage. Behind its bars, a blue creature with a fish tail and finned ears stared at him while shaking.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there," Mitch said, continuing his meddling on the lock. "Sandslash, are you done yet?"

"Slash!" his sandslash said while nodding. Next to the pokémon there was a hole large enough to fit an average adult human through it, and it led under the wall of the room.

"Good job! I'm almost done with this vaporeon here." The lock finally gave in after Mitch used a hairpin on it. "Perfect. Go! You're free!"

The vaporeon stared at him in awe for a second before accepting freedom and running toward the tunnel.

"All pokémon, listen up!" Mitch said before pointing at the hole in the ground. "Go through that tunnel, and don't ever return! Once you're out there, you're free to go back to the wilderness or seek your real owners or whatever you decide to do. Just keep out of Team Rocket's sight, got it?"

The pokémon that were freed from the cages nodded and then made their escape through the tunnel.

Mitch brought out five poké balls and said, "Golbat! Hellhound! Electrode! Porygon2! Volcarona! Get out, now!"

The summoned pokémon materialized in front of him.

"Listen up, my friends! We're no longer working for Team Rocket," he said, picking up his poké balls one by one, holding their buttons for thirty seconds, and then pointing them at his pokémon to target them with a blue beam. "What I'm about to do might be pretty risky, so if I don't make it out of here … you're free to choose a new path in life. Whether it be finding another trainer or just finding your place in nature, please take care of yourselves. Head to the tunnel and leave!"

Most of his pokémon followed his order unquestionably, but one of them stayed behind.

"Bat-baat!" Golbat said, refusing to leave his trainer's side.

"There's just one more pokémon left, and it's in that cage," Mitch said while looking at a charizard that was surrounded by a semitransparent barrier held by the metal frame of a cube. "I must free it too, Golbat. I can't do that if you stick around. I don't want to risk you getting hurt, whether by the charizard or by Team Rocket. So, please, go!"

"Cro!" the crobat said while shaking his head to refuse the order.

"I said _go_!"

Golbat landed atop his cap and refused to budge.

Taking his cap off, Mitch swung it at his pokémon. "Get out of here! Leave!"

The crobat continued to shake his head. "Cro."

Mitch threw his hat at him. "You stupid pokémon! Why do you have to be so stubborn right now?"

Golbat avoided the cap and then picked it up from the floor, bringing it back to Mitch while holding it with his mouth.

"Golbat, I'm serious! I need you out of here. If you stay, either we both get in big trouble with the charizard or we both get caught by Team Rocket and then who knows what Giovanni will order his grunts to do to us ... If you leave, maybe I can escape and free the charizard too. Worst case scenario, I never make it out, but at least you'll be free and safe, and that's all I care about."

Golbat dropped the cap and shook his head again.

Mitch had enough. He grabbed his crobat by the right wing and threw him into the hole in the ground, then covered it with soil as fast as he could, giving Golbat no chance of returning through that path. "I'm sorry."

Golbat continued to make a lot of noise behind the blockage, and this gave Mitch even more pressure to hurry and release the charizard before Giovanni would find out.

The charizard glared daggers at him and exposed its teeth while growling and whacking the barrier with its long tail that had a white flame on its tip.

"Easy there, charizard," Mitch said as he approached the cage. He looked at the lock. It had a keypad and a screen that said it was locked. "I've seen one guy open your cage a few days ago during feeding time. I know the first two numbers he pushed, so I'll just have to try all 99 possibilities for the last two."

"Rrrrrrizarrrd!" the charizard said, sparks coming out of its mouth as it breathed.

"I know they've put you through a lot of horrible treatments. I understand why you're so furious. Once I'll get you out of here, you'll be free to leave. No more experiments, no more orders, you'll be a free pokémon. All you have to do is dig through that covered hole and leave this place."

When Mitch touched the keypad, the charizard started to thrash inside the cage while roaring and stomping the floor.

"Hey, don't make so much noise! You'll alert the grunts!" Mitch said.

"Rizaaaaaarrrd!"

"Calm down!" Mitch said while switching his focus between the charizard and the keypad.

"Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Mitch frowned. "I thought this would be easier. 1908, 1909, 1910 ..."

The screen kept displaying, "Incorrect!" and the charizard kept making a lot of noise.

* * *

On the floor above, two men who worked for Team Rocket heard the thumps and roars.

"What could have startled the monster this time?"

"I don't know, but it sure sounds pissed."

"Well, go check on it! Give it a tranquilizer if needed; the stupid critter could hurt itself."

"Why do I have to be the dumbass who has to get close to that thing?"

"Because you're more qualified to handle a charizard than I am!"

"Why did I pick charmander for a starter? I'll go get my armor."

* * *

"1951, 1952, 1953," Mitch said as he tried the codes.

The charizard continued to slam its body into the walls of the cage, hoping to break the barrier so it could attack the human that refused to leave in spite of the threats.

"1962, 1963, 1964 … Got it!"

The lock deactivated the front of the barrier. There was nothing separating the charizard from the human.

"Y-you're free now," Mitch said, staring into the eyes of the pokémon that was two heads taller than him. Instead of leaving, it continued to glare and growl at him, and its body seemed to be glowing a faint red. "W-why aren't you l-leaving?"

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the charizard roared while unleashing a scorching orange blast with spirals of fire out of its mouth.

* * *

Mewtwo woke up and gasped. He realized he was on a couch in the museum.

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Yan asked from another couch in front of Mewtwo.

"No, or at least I don't think so. I just … felt a strange fear."

"Did you feel like you were falling? It happens to me sometimes, and then I wake up in the middle of the night, terrified."

Mewtwo rubbed his forehead while closing his eyes. "It wasn't like falling. It was like … that feeling you get when something is about to jump at you out of nowhere ..."

"Odd. I've never felt anything like that."

Something jumped out of a box from a corner of the room. "Omyyy!"

Both Mewtwo and Yan jumped off the couches and hid behind them while yelling, "Aaah!"

"Wait, wait … Omy?" Mewtwo said. He stopped cowering behind the couch and looked at the giggling omanyte. "You scared us, you little rascal!"

Yan came out of hiding as well. "How did he get here? I thought I closed the door."

"He probably learned to open it."

"Omany, om om!" Omy said, nodding and showing his unusual way of smiling again.

"Smart little dude," Yan said while petting the shell of the omanyte.

Mewtwo yawned. "Well, I guess he's the reason I woke up. I think we can get back to sleep now."

Yan ended up yawning as well. As they both lay back on the couches, he said, "Yeah. I'm still tired."

Omy jumped onto Mewtwo's couch and went inside his shell, which ended up resting against Mewtwo's feet.

 _That shell is pretty cold._ Not wanting to disturb Omy, Mewtwo allowed the little guy to rest there. The shell would get warmed up after a while – at least in the spot where it made contact with his skin.

"Two pokémon created by humans … I never thought I'd get to witness something like this," Yan said.

"Well, counting Charles, you've seen three of our kind. Unless … the people you've seen from Cinnabar Island weren't humans after all. How many of those islanders have you seen? What did they look like?"

"There were two islanders who washed ashore about two months ago. The first one was a woman. She seemed to be confused, and she had seaweed in her hair, eww! A man I know from Pallet Town tried to talk to her, but she kept saying, 'You're one of them, aren't you? You're not fooling me again!' She said the same things to the medics who came to take her away. The other islander was a kinda chubby man. He didn't bother to talk to anyone around here, but the weirdest thing about him was that he had a grinning white mask over his face. No one knows where he went."

"Well, the first one sounds like a human, but the second might be a pokémon. Then again there are talking pokémon out there, like Meowth. I wonder what happened to Meowth."

Yan stretched over the couch. "He had to run away from Mitch's pokémon, so I guess he left the city."

"I just hope he's safe," Mewtwo said. "He'd be at the professor's laboratory by now if we had met under different circumstances last time."

"We'll probably run into him again on our way to Saffron City."

"Right. For now, let's get back to sleep. We need to be well-rested for our long journey tomorrow."

"Good night, Mewtwo and Omy!"

"Good night Yan!"

"Ny-nyte!" Omy said from inside his shell.

▶ **To be continued.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Copycat**

Giovanni had a serious expression on his face as he sat at his desk. He looked at the three grunts – among whom was the lavender-haired guy – in his office. They stared at their boss with concern for what he was about to say. They knew something bad had happened in their headquarters the previous night, they just weren't sure what.

Giovanni finally broke the silence. "If any of you bleeding hearts are thinking about attempting to free our other captive pokémon, you better leave this organization right now. I don't want any more incidents like what happened last night in the basement." He clenched his fist over the desk. "There was nothing but a pile of ashes left."

The guy with lavender hair just stood there, still shocked by the news. The other two grunts threw their black hats on the floor and left the room.

"What about you?"

At the boss' question, the remaining grunt flinched. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Giovanni said. "Are you still in ... or are you out?" He pointed at the door.

"I'm still in. I'm not planning on freeing pokémon, I joined to _catch_ them."

"Good. You'll need a new team."

"Sir, could I … team up with my friend? She has a hard time getting along with her teammates anyway. Maybe she would do better if she worked with me."

Giovanni looked at him for a few seconds to see if the guy was confident. "Alright. You can form a duo if you want. But first, I want to see just how well you can cooperate. I'm sending you two on your first assignment as a team. I think it should be fairly easy, given the information I have about the target."

* * *

A charizard flew chaotically in the night skies, spitting flames at the crowd of terrified people below it. The view shook as a brunette woman held her microphone and spoke into it. "W-we are here live f-from Viridian City, where a vicious ch-charizard is terrorizing the citizens. Oh my God! Is it heading our way?"

"It's still in the distance," the voice of the cameraman said.

"Good," the reporter told him. "Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen, but this creature is out of control, as you can see behind me." She pointed at the charizard that managed to turn an entire bus into a pile of smoldering metal. "Fortunately, the people had managed to escape before the charizard attacked that bus. But who knows what the next target … What?! It's coming this way? That's it! I'm out of here!"

The reporter and the cameraman ran away screaming, leaving the camera behind as a stream of fire filled the view. Everything went black.

"We're glad you and your cameraman managed to escape last night's event unharmed, Melissa," a blonde woman said, sitting at a large blue desk in the news studio.

The reporter from the recording sat next to her at the desk. "I hope I'll never again get sent on the field when aggressive pokémon are the subject."

"I hope it won't happen again too. As for the violent charizard, it flew away after the police used their army of blastoise on it. While there have been no deaths resulting from this incident, thirty people have been hospitalized with moderate-to-severe burns."

Mewtwo, Yan, Seymour, and Mr. Boulder watched the news on a wall-mounted, large TV while eating breakfast at a wooden table.

"That is one mean charizard," Mewtwo said while firmly holding a glass of orange juice in his right hand. His plate only had bread crumbs left from what had been his breakfast.

Omy, who was sitting on a cardboard box, stared at the TV and shuddered while holding a half-eaten cookie in his left tentacle.

Yan said, "And I thought your Charles was nasty." Then he took a bite out of a bread slice covered in peanut butter.

"Charles has his reasons. I'm assuming that whatever happened to that charizard must have been even worse. I don't think pokémon would cause such destruction unprovoked."

"What if Team Rocket unleashed that charizard?"

Mewtwo wagged his tail while looking at Yan. "I don't know … It doesn't seem like they've got anything to gain by doing this. You'd expect them to at least warn people and give them a chance to comply with their demands. No demands were made. There was just a charizard burning everything to ashes."

"Their leader might be some madman bent on destroying the world," Seymour said. "Some humans … can be truly evil."

"If Team Rocket's behind this, I have one more reason to hunt them down once I've awakened my powers."

Boulder looked at Mewtwo while putting his empty glass on the table. "What kind of powers?"

"I'm not sure," Mewtwo said. "I'm assuming they're psychic type, but I keep discovering that I can use various attacks such as the fighting type move brick break and some kind of attack that involved kicking rocks at the opponent. One time, I accidentally made some clouds move. At least it seemed that way to me."

"Are you heading to Saffron City to train there?" Boulder asked.

"Yes, that's the plan."

"I've heard about Sabrina's psychic training program and that she's very good at training psychic type pokémon, but … humans go there to train, and the pokémon there are all under ownership. You're still a wild pokémon, so Sabrina might try to capture you."

Mewtwo smirked. "She can try, but it won't work with poké balls anymore. I've captured myself."

"Clever," Boulder said, "but she could take control of your body and make you release yourself from under your ownership. Do not underestimate Sabrina's power. There is an army of psychic humans there, and none of them dare challenge her to a battle of wills."

Mewtwo looked at his glass. "I don't really intend to stir trouble once I get there. I'm hoping that she'll understand why I must train." His eyes then stared into Boulder's. "I'm doing this for people and pokémon alike. Team Rocket must be stopped."

"Well, I wish you good luck. If they're truly unleashing vicious pokémon on the world, they have crossed the line and must be dealt with as soon as possible."

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to the museum's scientists and Omy, Mewtwo and Yan continued their journey toward Saffron City by running.

A flock of pidgey flew above them, a cacophony of repeated "Gee!" cries torturing Mewtwo's ears. "These pokémon make me nervous," he said.

Yan looked at him, confused. "Why? They're just pidgey, the tamest pokémon around Kanto."

Mewtwo's eyes were wide open. "That's a lie! Whoever said that first has never had his or her face scratched by those sharp claws!"

Yan chuckled. "Dude, how did ya manage to piss off a freaking pidgey? You're unbelievable."

"I tried to capture it, just like any trainer would do!" Mewtwo said, scowling at the youngster. "It didn't even give me enough time to bring Charles out."

Yan continued to laugh at him for a while as they continued their running.

* * *

It was midday when the genetic pokémon and the youngster reached Saffron City. Just in time for lunch.

They found a small park between the many green skyscrapers that towered everywhere in the city. The bench they chose to sit on had a nice view of a flower-shaped fountain.

Mewtwo searched through his backpack and found a can of pâté and a plastic box that contained five slices of bread. "Do you like this stuff?"

"I eat almost anything, so I'm cool with pâté too," Yan said while taking the food from Mewtwo. "Did you bring any cutlery with you?"

Mewtwo tilted his head to the left. "What is cutlery?"

"Knives, forks, spoons ..."

"I didn't think of getting those," Mewtwo said.

Yan shrugged. "Oh well, I can just remove the can's lid and bend it so that I can use it to spread the paste over the bread."

"Good idea!"

While Yan prepared his lunch, Mewtwo continued to search through his backpack until he found some canned ham and another plastic box that had five slices of bread. He pulled the can's ring and took the aluminum lid off the container, then opened the plastic box and took out two slices of bread to make a sandwich with the piece of ham.

As they were enjoying their food, something distracted Mewtwo. At the park's entrance he saw a figure that seemed familiar. "Yan! Look!" He pointed at the entity.

Yan gasped. "Is … Is that another …"

"Wait here!" Mewtwo said while putting his sandwich on the bench. Then he got up and walked toward the creature that stood before him. The closer he got, the more he realized that the entity he was facing looked like him. The colors and the general shape were right, but the face … There was something odd about it. Unlike Mewtwo's large eyes with purple irises, the mewtwo before him had black, beady eyes. It didn't have nostrils either, and the mouth showed a too wide smile. "Who are you?"

"Ditto!" the strange mewtwo said.

Mewtwo took a step back as his mouth remained open. "D-Ditto?"

The odd mewtwo nodded. "Ditto."

"You … You were there on that day, weren't you?"

"Ditt?"

"Did you come from the laboratory on Cinnabar Island?"

Ditto tilted its head. "To?"

Mewtwo scowled at it. "Can you tell me what happened there?"

"Dittooo …?"

"Where did all the scientists go? Who destroyed all that stuff in the laboratory? I've heard your voice among the screams! What happened back there?"

Ditto started to shake and whimper while holding its hands to its mouth. Too many questions thrown at it all at once.

"Hey, you!" a girl's voice said.

Mewtwo looked behind Ditto. "Huh?"

The girl was about two thirds of Mewtwo's height, and had green hair styled in pigtails held by pink bows. She wore a red T-shirt and blue jeans. "Leave Ditto alone!" she said.

"I was just asking Ditto some questions. I didn't mean to startle him."

The girl crossed her arms. "You were pretty much _demanding_ answers from it."

"I'm sorry," Mewtwo said. "It's just that Ditto reminded me of something that happened in the laboratory on Cinnabar Island, where I was created."

"You were created? Are you a pokémon?"

"I am Mewtwo. The pokédex I've found in the laboratory stated that I am the genetic pokémon, created by humans for … well, basically battling. But I have a different dream. I want to train pokémon instead!"

"A pokémon training pokémon? Now that's something I never expected to find. Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Duplica."

"Interesting name," Mewtwo said.

"My parents named me that because I used to imitate everything they did. As I got older, imitating became one of my hobbies. I dress up as pokémon or other people and try my best to act just like them. Ditto is the best sidekick I could ask for. It has the ability to change into pretty much any pokémon, and can even change into objects and humans."

"Is this Ditto's real form?"

"No, it's just trying to look like you. But as you can see, it has trouble getting faces right. Ditto, show Mewtwo your real form!"

"Ditto!" the creature said as it began to shrink and change into an amorphous pink blob, retaining the two beady eyes and large smile.

"Where did you find Ditto?"

Duplica picked up Ditto and held it at her chest. "One day, I was taking a walk through the city and I saw a new fire hydrant right next to the one that's been on that street since way before I was born. The new one seemed to move, so I went to check what was up with it. When I poked it, the fake hydrant changed shape and became a pidgey. It flew and landed on a tree's branch, but I managed to lure it with bread crumbs and then I've captured it with a poké ball. Later I found out that it wasn't a pidgey I've captured, but something never seen before. Even Professor Oak was amazed when I brought Ditto to him. He said that it has the DNA of every known pokémon."

"So, Ditto's also a recently discovered species," Mewtwo said. "But was it created or born?"

"I don't know. Even when it turns into people, it never really speaks its mind. It just imitates. You're a pokémon too, so you should understand Ditto, right?" She put Ditto back on the ground in front of Mewtwo.

Mewtwo squatted next to the Ditto to get a better look at it. "I can try. A talking meowth taught me how to figure out what they're saying, and my telepathy should help."

Duplica widened her eyes. "You've seen the talking meowth too?!"

"Yes. I've been searching for him for some time now. I need to deliver some important news to him."

"He might still be around here. I've met him on a street nearby half an hour ago. He asked me for directions."

"Then I better hurry and find him," Mewtwo said. "But first … Ditto, could you tell me where you came from?"

"Ditto ..." the pink blob said. "Ditt-to ditt di. Ditto ditt-ditt-di. Dittooo." There was a lot of confusion seeping into the creature's tone as it spoke.

Mewtwo dug into Ditto's mind to read its thoughts. He saw what could be described as a dumpster full of pink and purple goo, and could feel the rancid smell as if he were there in Ditto's place. He could hear a man talk, but most of the guy's speech was incomprehensible save for a few words that he could recognize. The first was _failure_ , the second was _disgusting_ , and the third was _terminate_. Mewtwo felt the fear that Ditto had experienced back then, seeing more of the squeaky, living blobs being thrown over it as if they were nothing more than trash. That fear was amplified when the lid of the dumpster was closed, leaving Ditto in complete darkness among the cries of other creatures of its kind.

Duplica stared at the entranced Mewtwo. "Did you find out anything about Ditto's past yet?"

Mewtwo looked at her while his vertical slit pupils dilated back to normal. "Yeah. Ditto's first moments were … horrific, to say the least." Turning his attention back to the creature, he said, "Ditto, how did you get out of that place?"

"To-dit. Ditto ditt to toditto dittooo. Dit-dit-dit to ditodito."

Focusing his mental powers, Mewtwo went back into the trance as his pupils contracted again. He was sent into another memory, where the dumpster's top had been opened by the other ditto that had formed a large mass of goo in order to push and break the lid. They swam through water. At that moment, Mewtwo realized that the dumpster had been thrown into the ocean.

"Those scientists … They … They tried to drown them!" Mewtwo said, still in trance. "They tried to murder Ditto and its siblings!"

Duplica seemed shocked. "The scientists from Cinnabar Island?"

"Yes. Ditto and a few others of its kind swam away from the island, but the ditto that remained behind swore they would get their revenge for being nearly drowned. They sought the strongest pokémon they could find in the waters, and then transformed into them. They were creatures with long, blue bodies and powerful jaws. The last thing your Ditto remembers about the escape is that it saw them break into the laboratory. The last thing _I_ remember from that incident was … the scream of the last human in there, right after an explosion."

"Long, blue bodies … Powerful jaws …" Duplica said. She knew what pokémon fit that description. She had been practicing her disguise and mimicry of that ferocious creature for a few months, trying to get the roars and the movement right. "Gyarados."

Mewtwo snapped out of his trance. "Huh?"

"The waters around Cinnabar Island are populated by gyarados. They really are the strongest water type pokémon in Kanto, and the most violent. It takes a lot of skill and guts to train gyarados. I heard one trainer failed to keep his gyarados under control and ended up becoming a living chew toy for it. Well … living only for a little while. Those big, sharp teeth ensured he didn't get out of the beast's mouth alive."

"Pokémon can do some really terrible things," Mewtwo said, "but I don't think they do it out of ill intent. Even those ditto had a bone to pick with the scientists. Also, there's a furious charizard out on a rampage. I'll have to ask Sabrina to train me so that I can use my psychic powers to stop that charizard and find out why it's like that. Then there's also Team Rocket … I'll have to stop them too. But right now I need to find Meowth. Where did you see him?"

"I saw him on street number 7, but he said he was heading toward street number 9. It's not far from here. Just head that way." Duplica pointed toward the corner of a street that was next to the park.

"Thank you! I'll go tell my friend. It's been nice meeting you and Ditto."

"See you around, Mewtwo!" she said while waving. Ditto also waved a lobe of its body that acted as its right arm.

* * *

Meowth walked down an alley while looking with great hope and a large smile at a sheet of paper on which the following was written with a black marker pen: IF YOU ARE THE TALKING MEOWTH, MEET US IN SAFFRON CITY, IN THE ALLEY NEAR STREET 9, NEXT TO THE BUILDING WITH THE BUTTERFREE GRAFFITI. WE WILL HIRE YOU.

At the dead end of the alley, he was greeted by the lavender-haired Team Rocket guy and a long-haired, redhead woman dressed in a white uniform that exposed her belly. Behind them there was a red hot air balloon with a basket large enough to fit up to three adult humans in it.

"Hello! I'm the talking meowth you're looking for!"

The man smirked. "So, you really _do_ talk!"

The redhead approached Meowth. "Ready to join Team Rocket?"

Before Meowth could reply, he heard a familiar voice call his name. He turned around and saw … "Mewtwo?"

"It's that genetically modified pokémon!" the lavender-haired guy said.

Mewtwo scowled at the Team Rocket pair. "What are you Rockets doing here?"

"None of your business!" the woman said. "This is just between us and Meowth."

"Meowth is my friend!" Mewtwo said, whipping the air with his tail. "I will never let you harm him!"

Meowth put himself in front of Mewtwo and blocked the way to the Team Rocket duo. "They're not here to harm me! They're here to _hire_ me!"

Mewtwo's jaw dropped. "Hire?!"

"That's right!" Meowth said while nodding.

Mewtwo stared at him while lowering his ears. "You've got to be kidding."

Meowth turned his back to Mewtwo. "I'm not kidding."

"Meowth, I can't let you join them. Team Rocket steal and hurt pokémon! They use them as tools to achieve their goals! We must stand against their cruelty."

"Heh! I won't be a tool. I will be one of their members. I'm even gonna get paid for it, and I'll never starve again."

"Professor Oak could offer you all the food you want without asking you to turn against other pokémon!" Mewtwo said.

"Professor Oak would say anything to get his hands on a rare pokémon," the woman said. "Then he'll want to experiment on poor little Meowth."

Mewtwo stomped the ground with his right foot. "That's not true! Meowth, if the professor really wanted to capture a rare pokémon to study, he could have easily done so when I've asked him to capture me! Instead, he told me to look elsewhere for a master. In the end, I had to capture myself with my own poké ball so that Team Rocket could not capture me!"

Meowth looked at him over his left shoulder. "You ain't just rare. You're powerful. He'd not wanna mess with you. _No one_ wants to mess with you. I'm weak. That's why I need this job."

"No!" Mewtwo said. He dug through his backpack's left pocket and fished out a poké ball. "I won't let you join them! I will capture you if I have to!"

"I will not accept to be captured!" Meowth said. "Not by a human, and _definitely_ not by a pokémon!"

Mewtwo threw the poké ball, but Meowth jumped out of its way. The device hit a wall and split open before falling to the ground.

Meowth hissed while puffing up his fur. "I can't believe you'd actually try to capture me!"

"I can't believe you're joining the people who want to capture me!" Mewtwo said.

The lavender-haired man pointed at the wicker basket of their hot air balloon. "Quick! Hop in!"

After evading another poké ball by shielding himself with a trashcan lid, Meowth discarded the improvised shield and sprinted toward the basket.

"Don't you dare!" Mewtwo said, throwing another ball. It missed, and Meowth jumped into the basket.

"Meowth! Don't go with them!" Yan shouted, standing behind Mewtwo.

The Team Rocket duo joined their new recruit and turned on the flame under their balloon. They took off before Mewtwo could throw another ball.

"You're making a huge mistake!" Mewtwo said while glaring daggers at the ascending balloon. "Team Rocket, you will pay for this!"

All the trashcans in the alley started to shake, startling Yan.

Still keeping his eyes on Team Rocket's balloon, Mewtwo began to whip the air with his tail while clenching his fists. "I swear, I'm going to hunt you down for this!"

The trash cans got slowly crushed by an invisible force until they looked like the lids of sewer holes with compacted trash on top. Yan stared at the phenomenon. "Uh … Mewtwo? Something strange is going on ..."

Mewtwo unintentionally caused a whirlwind to form around himself, but he didn't care to notice it. "They stole pokémon from trainers. They tricked an orphan human into doing crimes with them. And now … they took away my friend. They have not just crossed the line, they are _way_ past the line now!"

Yan put a hand on Mewtwo's left arm. "Mewtwo ..."

The pokémon swiftly turned around, his eyes glowing bright blue, and said, "We're going straight to Saffron Gym!" He walked out of the alley and onto the middle of the road. "Nothing will stop me! Sabrina _will_ train me!" As he walked while stomping the ground under his feet, the streetlights' poles started to bend to the sides everywhere he went, causing people to stop walking or driving by and stare in shock at the bipedal pokémon and the destruction he was causing.

Yan followed him, but even _he_ thought the situation was getting scary. "Mewtwo! Stop! You're wrecking the city!" His screams fell on deaf ears, and a police siren sounded off in the distance.

▶ **To be continued.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Strongest Mind**

"What is the meaning of this?" Officer Jenny asked, staring at Yan and Mewtwo. "Is this your pokémon, young man?"

"No, he's a trainer," Yan said.

The officer started to suspect something. "Is he … that pokémon my sisters told me about?"

Mewtwo looked around and saw the bent poles and crushed trash cans while holding his ears lowered. "I'm sorry about all the destruction I've caused. I didn't mean to do this."

Officer Jenny could tell he wasn't really the vicious beast the people described him to be. "What made you do it?"

"Team Rocket," Mewtwo said. "They tricked my friend into joining them. I failed to stop them, and my anger manifested through my powers."

"Well, I'm going to have to ask you to either use your powers to fix this mess, or to pay a fine so that we can make repairs."

"I … can't actually control my powers yet. But I'm going to ask Sabrina to train me, so I might be able to fix things after that."

Officer Jenny knew that she was pretty much at the mercy of the powerful pokémon before her, but she still said, "I'll need it fixed as soon as possible, so decide now how we're going to do this."

Mewtwo wished he could use his mind to straighten those poles and restore the trash cans, but that clearly wasn't going to happen until he'd learn how to control his powers. "I have no choice but to pay the fine. How much do I owe the city?"

The officer checked something on a tablet's screen and then said, "The cost for the reparations will be 2300 pokémon dollars."

Mewtwo gasped. "I don't have that much money! What do I do now?"

Yan realized something. "Actually, since you've defeated several gym leaders, you should have quite a few thousand poké dollars in your trainer account."

"That is true," Officer Jenny said. "You can pay directly from your trainer account if you want."

"Alright. How do I do that?"

"Give me your pokédex for a bit."

Mewtwo passed the device to the officer. After a minute of using her tablet to connect to it, she gave it back to him. "Your pokédex is a little unusual. Anyway, I have extracted the fine money from your account. You have 7186 pokémon dollars left. Be more careful next time."

"I'll do my best to keep my anger under control, madam," Mewtwo said.

* * *

After searching for a while through Saffron City, Mewtwo and Yan finally found Sabrina's gym. It was a lavender building with a roof that looked almost like an umbrella's top with two added half domes over it. The roof was supported with extra pillars that got narrower toward their feet. A faint mist covered the place, making for an eerie atmosphere.

Mewtwo took in a deep breath and then released it. "We're here. It's time to challenge Sabrina."

Yan looked at him with a worried expression. "Are you sure about this?"

"I have so many reasons to go through with this that I can't quit now. I must meet her. She is my only hope."

Yan didn't like the feel of the place, but he knew that if they wanted to put a stop to Team Rocket's crime spree, Mewtwo would need to learn how to control his powers. "Then I'm rooting for ya!"

As Mewtwo stepped forward, the glass sides of the arched door made way for him by sliding into the slits of the wall. He and Yan went inside and saw a blue floor with wave patterns. The walls were golden, and they had pillars of the same color shaped just like the ones outside. Each pillar had a lamp with an elongated light bulb.

"This place looks empty," Yan said, looking around. "It's also pretty quiet. I wonder what happened here."

As they continued to walk toward the door in front of them, some muffled voices reached Mewtwo's ears. To his right he saw a green, arched door that had a window at its top, shaped just like the door. "Someone's in there."

Yan followed him to the door. "I'm not sure we should be going that way. The gym leaders usually are at the back of the gym."

"It won't hurt to take a peek," Mewtwo said. He looked through the window, and Yan did the same – although he needed to stand on the tip of his feet for his eyes to reach high enough.

Behind that door was a room full of people who sat at tables that had white cloths on top, surrounded by red chairs. Most of the people held spoons in their hands and stared intensely at the pieces of cutlery. A few of the humans worked in pairs, trying to guess what symbol was on the card their partner held. One blonde teenage girl focused on the flame of a candle and made it sway just by holding her right hand above it.

"They're training in the use of psychic powers," Mewtwo said. "I hope Sabrina will let me join these people."

"Good afternoon, visitors," a teenage boy with red hair tied in a ponytail said, stressing the _r_ letters. He wore a white, unbuttoned lab coat, a purple shirt that could be seen from the front, and dark gray pants. He stared at Mewtwo, and then at Yan. "Hold on … You have no psychic powers that I can detect, and there's no way you are old enough to be an official pokémon trainer. So, what brings you here, kid?"

"Ya see, I'm not the trainer here," Yan said. Then he pointed at Mewtwo. "He is."

The redhead scowled. "Is this a joke? Quit wasting my time, kid!"

"It's no joke," Mewtwo said. "I actually am a trainer."

The jaw of the redhead dropped. "What?! A pokémon that can communicate with such clear telepathy … You're no ordinary pokémon, are you?"

"I am Mewtwo, and I was created by some scientists on Cinnabar Island to be the strongest pokémon in the world. They gave me many psychic powers that I am currently unable to control."

"I-I-I'm Boris … servant of the Great Sabrina. Look, not that I want to insinuate that you're weak or anything … but I must warn you that my master has the strongest mind around here. If you wish to challenge her, be aware that if you lose she'll–" The teenager knelt, apparently getting choked by invisible hands that would not let him finish the warning.

Mewtwo approached him. "What's happening to you?"

"You talk too much, Boris." It was a female voice coming from the back of the gym, accompanied by the sound of footsteps. "Leave these two to me." She released Boris from her psychic grip, allowing him to breathe again.

Boris got back on his feet. "Yes, master. As you wish, master." He slowly walked away, shaking due to the shock he had experienced.

"Whoa! It's Sabrina!" Yan said.

Sabrina, the green-haired teenage girl who was dressed in a red suit with gold buttons, looked at Mewtwo with the sharp stare of her blue eyes. In her hands she held a doll shaped like a little girl who had blue hair, a pink-bowed hat, and a white dress with pink collar and sleeves. The doll held a poké ball in its hands. "So … you've come to challenge me."

"Yes," Mewtwo said, wiggling his tail.

She smirked. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"I think I have a general idea, what with the many warnings I've been given about you from several people."

"You are quite confident. I sense immense psychic powers inside your brain, and you seem intelligent since you are capable of becoming an official trainer. You have three pokémon with you, so I'll also use three against you if you really want to challenge me. But if you lose … I will claim _you_ as my prize. Deal?"

"Wait a minute!" Yan said. "You can't claim a trainer as your prize!"

"You underestimate me, young man," Sabrina said. "Many trainers have challenged me before. Most of them ended up witnessing my transmutation abilities as I turned them into dolls."

"You … turn people into dolls?!" Mewtwo said.

"Yes, but eventually I get bored and turn them back to normal so I can watch them scurry out of here."

"In spite of the high stakes, I challenge you. And if I win, you will teach me how to use my psychic powers."

Sabrina scowled at Mewtwo. "I thought the marsh badge would suffice as a prize for a trainer."

"Please, Sabrina, I'm willing to skip the badge if you would agree to teach me how to use my powers! After all, there are more gyms in Kanto, so it's not like I came here _specifically_ for the badge. I need to stop Team Rocket, and my only hope lies in unlocking my psychic powers."

The lights around the ceiling were turned on, illuminating the arena near the back of the gym.

"I accept your challenge," Sabrina said, "and I also accept to help you train, should you win. But if you lose ..."

Mewtwo nodded. "We have a deal. But my pokémon and I will do our best to avoid losing."

"Then let's get this battle started." With that, Sabrina used her telekinetic powers to bring a poké ball from a wooden box next to her chair in the back of the gym.

"Good luck, Mewtwo!" Yan said.

"Thank you. But I will not leave it all to luck. My pokémon and I will do our best."

"My first pokémon will be …" Sabrina said as the poké ball's button lit up, "Mr. Mime."

Mr. Mime came out of his ball and materialized. He looked like a nearly bald man with blue hair tufts sticking out of his head as if they were ears. His face didn't have a nose, but it had two pink cheeks, two big eyes, and a smiling mouth. His white hands were a bit too big for his stick arms. His feet looked like blue shoes with their tips curled upward. All of his limbs were connected to pink spheres on his body, and a round bump of the same color decorated his chest.

Mewtwo checked his pokédex, and it told him, "Mr. Mime, the barrier pokémon. The evolved form of Mime Jr.. Its types are: psychic and fairy. This pokémon is capable of creating invisible objects out of thin air through pantomime. If interrupted during its pantomime training sessions, Mr. Mime becomes hostile and will slap the offender with its large hands."

"Well, that was a surprisingly short entry," Mewtwo said. "Alright. I could use my charizard, but I think it's best to save him as my last option. So for now, I'll choose … Vixie! Go!" He threw the poké ball, and the eevee materialized, her ambition burning in her eyes.

"You know," Sabrina said, "you could have turned that eevee into an umbreon before coming here. It would have made things easier for you."

"There's no point in thinking about what I could have done. What matters is what I can do in the present. Vixie! Sand attack!"

"Vee!" Vixie said as she turned around. Then she kicked sand into Mr. Mime's face, causing him to rub his eyes and whimper in pain.

"Way to go, Mewtwo!" Yan said. "That'll make it harder for Mr. Mime to focus."

"Mr. Mime! Confusion!" Sabrina ordered.

"Mime!" her pokémon said. Then he pointed the index finger of his right hand at the spot where Vixie stood. He could barely see through the tears, but the blurry brown figure of the eevee was definitely in front of him. A purple beam of light came out of the pink tip of his finger and went for Vixie, but she jumped out of its way, making his attack miss.

"Vixie! Use swift!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie spun on her left leg while her tail glowed white and then released the swift stars that hit Mr. Mime's head.

Sabrina didn't seem worried at all. "Let's use a stronger attack. Mr. Mime! Psychic!"

Mr. Mime's eyes started to glow blue, and then Vixie's body gained an aura of the same glow.

Mewtwo noticed that Vixie was worried about something. "What is happening?"

Mr. Mime acted as if he were pressing something down, and Vixie started to lose her ability to stand, ending up on her belly.

"Psychic takes control of the opponent's muscles," Sabrina said. "It doesn't last long, but it does cause quite some damage."

Mewtwo had a plan. "Vixie! As soon as Mr. Mime releases you, get up and attack!"

Vixie waited until she could feel her aching muscles respond to her again, then she charged at Mr. Mime with such speed that he didn't even have time to avoid getting hit in the chest by the eevee's head.

"Mr. Mime! Use psychic again!"

Mr. Mime obeyed Sabrina's order and took control of Vixie's body again. He made her curl into a ball and roll around.

"Not again," Mewtwo said. "Well, use the same attack you've used before, Vixie!"

"Veev!" Vixie said, uncurling after being released from psychic's grasp. She targeted Mr. Mime with another quick attack, this time jumping behind him and then trying to hit him in the back.

Mr. Mime dodged. He panted while staring at Vixie, who landed in front of him. Using psychic took a toll on his stamina.

" _One more hit and he's down,"_ Mewtwo said to Vixie in private.

" _I won't let you land that hit,"_ Sabrina told Mewtwo using her telepathy.

Mewtwo's eyes widened. "You have telepathy too?!"

"Of course," she said. "I might be the strongest psychic alive. Now, let's finish this little match of ours. Mr. Mime! Psychic!"

Mr. Mime took control of Vixie again, and this time caused her to roll over for half a minute before he had to stop and take a rest. Vixie could no longer get up and fight, so Mewtwo recalled her.

"One down, two more to go," Sabrina said while looking at her sparkling black nails. "Next pokémon, please."

"Buzz! I choose you!" Mewtwo said as he threw the poké ball.

Buzz materialized in the air and stared at Mr. Mime.

Under any other circumstance, Sabrina would have been a little worried if someone sent out a bug type pokémon in a battle with her psychic type pokémon, but the fact that Mr. Mime had the fairy secondary type and that the green beedrill was part poison type made her rest assured that she had high chances of winning again.

"Buzz! Sludge bomb!" Mewtwo ordered.

Buzz shot the venom at Mr. Mime's face, but it didn't do much damage other than give the opponent sore eyes.

Sabrina was quick to give her order. "Mr. Mime! Psychic!"

Mr. Mime took control of Buzz and made him crash into the ground.

"Buzz! Get up and sting Mr. Mime!"

Buzz heard Mewtwo's order and flew toward his opponent then used his arms' needles to sting Mr. Mime.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Mewtwo," Sabrina said. "Mr. Mime! Psybeam!"

Mr. Mime held his right hand in front of himself and fired a purple, zigzagging beam from the center of its palm. The beam hit Buzz and made the poison inside him sizzle, causing him pain before sending him unconscious.

"Buzz, come back!" Mewtwo said. This wasn't good. Sabrina was at her first pokémon and he was at his last. "Charles, it's your turn."

Charles came out of his poké ball and landed heavily, shaking the ground under himself and Mr. Mime.

At that moment, Sabrina knew things were getting serious. She was sure that the charizard before them was high level and definitely capable of using strong fire attacks. She also realized that Mewtwo had been reading her thoughts.

Mewtwo grinned. "Alright, Charles! We got the upper hand here! Use flamethrower!"

"Zaaaard!" Charles roared, blowing a jet of fire at Mr. Mime, who got instantly knocked out.

"Come back, Mr. Mime," Sabrina said, trying to keep her cool. She used her telekinesis to bring a second poké ball from the wooden box. "My next pokémon will be … Drowzee."

Out of the ball, a creature with yellow upper body and brown lower body came out. Its nose was a short trunk, and its ears were short and pointy. Its hands had three fingers and its feet ended in two yellow toes.

"Charles, we must be careful," Mewtwo said. "You are the only pokémon I have for the following two rounds." He brought out his pokédex to check what information was available on Drowzee.

The pokédex told what it knew. "Drowzee, the hypnosis pokémon. Its type is: psychic. This pokémon is said to be a descendant of the legendary baku creature. Much like its supposed predecessor, drowzee eats dreams. When it becomes too hungry, drowzee will use its hypnosis to put people or pokémon to sleep so that it can eat their dreams."

Before Mewtwo could give any orders, Charles resorted to using fire blast on Drowzee.

"Charles! Not again!" Mewtwo said.

Drowzee was on the ground, slowly managing to get up in spite of the soreness on its skin.

Sabrina had to act quick. "Drowzee! Hypnosis!"

"Drowzee! Drowzee! Drowzee!" her pokémon chanted while moving its arms in front of itself and emitting psychic waves.

Charles could not finish exhaling another fire blast. He fell asleep and crashed on the ground, snoring.

Mewtwo's worst fear returned. The last time this happened to his charizard, they lost a battle. "Charles! Wake up!"

Sabrina took advantage of the situation. "Drowzee! Use dream eater!"

Drowzee raised its right hand, which started to glow red. Charles also gained the same glow, which extended into Drowzee's hand. A large chunk of Charles' energy ended up being transferred to the opponent.

"Charles! If you don't wake up, we'll never get the chance to stop Team Rocket! We can't let those crooks take over the world!"

Charles continued to sleep, but he took a few snorts and rolled on his back in response to his trainer's yelling.

"Drowzee! Use dream eater again!" Sabrina ordered.

Drowzee drained Charles' energy once more, recovering its vigor almost completely.

"Please wake up, Charles! We can't let our journey end like this!" Mewtwo said.

Yan joined in. "Come on, Charles! Are you gonna let yourself lose to an opponent that you could have won against with ease?"

Charles started to growl, but his eyes were still shut. His body started to shake.

"You might as well consider yourself my pokémon, Mewtwo," Sabrina said. "Since you do not know how to counter my psychic powers, I can easily make you give up ownership over yourself, so don't think your little trick can save you."

"It can't end like this ..." Mewtwo said. "Charles! Wake up! This is our last chance!"

Sabrina smirked. "Drowzee! Dream eater!"

Yan stomped the ground with his left foot. "Open your damn eyes, you oversized charmander!"

Drowzee tried to use dream eater, but it failed. Charles woke up.

After firing a flamethrower at Yan – who ducked out of its way – Charles glared down at Drowzee. "Rizaaard!"

"Use fire blast on Drowzee!" Mewtwo ordered. "We can't let him hypnotize you again."

Charles let out a puff of smoke through his nostrils and then took in a deep breath. His body started to glow red.

Yan approached the edge of the battlefield. "Is he preparing to use … overheat?"

Mewtwo shrugged. "I guess so. I've never seen him glow like that before."

"He might win this round," Yan said, "but overheat will reduce the power of his special attacks significantly after its use."

"Charles! You might want to reconsider–"

Charles did not care about what Mewtwo was about to say. He opened his mouth, and from it he unleashed the orange beam surrounded by red fire spirals. The attack knocked Drowzee out, and Sabrina had to recall her pokémon.

"Well, that was unexpected," Sabrina said. "Congratulations on making it this far, Mewtwo. I have only one pokémon left, but you are in the same situation. And unlike yours, mine is well-rested. Abra, come out!"

The doll in Sabrina's arms released the poké ball it held, and the device floated toward the battlefield. The red beam shot out of the ball and landed on the ground, forming Abra, a mostly yellow pokémon with brown chest and pauldrons of the same color on its shoulders. Its thick tail also had a brown band near its tip. The creature's head was very similar to Mewtwo's, although its ears were much shorter and straight. Its snout was white, and its large eyes were closed. Its hands had three fingers, and its feet had three toes – two pointed forward and one pointed to the back.

Mewtwo could feel the doubts inside Sabrina's mind. Her pokémon had great potential since it – or _he,_ because Mewtwo found out Abra was male – could evolve into kadabra, but Sabrina knew that Abra needed more training until he would reach the required level for that evolution. Still, with his charizard so exhausted, Mewtwo knew that letting their guard down could mean a victory for Abra.

"I'll let you go first," Sabrina said. She was trying to figure out any possible way of getting an attack in, since Abra was much slower than Charles.

"Charles, use fire blast!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles ignored him. He was annoyed at having a sleeping pokémon for an opponent. Was Sabrina mocking him? He used flamethrower, just to check if there was more to the abra than he could see.

Sabrina was quick to order, "Abra! Teleport!"

Abra disappeared and avoided the fire jet, then popped up behind Charles.

"That doesn't seem fair," Mewtwo said.

"Abra only moved around the battlefield, so it isn't against the rules," Sabrina said.

"Charles! Use fire blast, now!"

Charles ignored Mewtwo's order again and took in a deep breath, his body glowing red once more.

This pleased Sabrina. "I was worried that I might lose, but your charizard is foolish enough to even the odds."

"No, Charles! Using overheat is a bad idea right now!" Mewtwo said.

Charles breathed out the overheat beam that headed toward Abra.

"Abra! Teleport!" Sabrina ordered.

Abra teleported safely and appeared behind Charles.

"Charles! Stop using overheat! It's making you weaker!" Mewtwo said.

Charles started to feel the exhaustion, so he decided to change his tactics. He tried to slap Abra with his right wing, but Abra dodged the attack.

Sabrina didn't let the opportunity pass her by. "Abra! Use charge beam!"

A ball of yellow light formed in front of Abra's forehead, and then a beam of lightning came out of the ball to zap Charles. The attack didn't manage to knock Charles out, but it dealt enough damage to cause his blaze ability to activate.

Charles spread his wings. "Zaar!" Then he ran toward Abra while white streaks of light came out of his wings.

Sabrina had to make her move. "Abra! Teleport!"

Charles knew that Abra would be right behind him, and he also knew that his physical strength had not suffered any reduction, so he used his wings to hit Abra, who was sent flying and almost landed out of the battlefield.

"Abra! Get up!" Sabrina ordered.

"Aaabraaa ..." her pokémon said as he got back up.

"That was a good idea, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Do it again and Abra won't be able to escape."

Charles spread his wings again. "Zaar!"

There was no point in issuing an attack order, so Sabrina lifted Abra's poké ball with her mind and said, "Abra! Come back!"

"Huh?!" was all Mewtwo could utter.

Charles started stomping the ground and growling. He wanted to end the battle by defeating Abra.

"A good pokémon trainer knows when to accept defeat," Sabrina said. "Congratulations. You have won. As per our agreement, I will be your teacher. In spite of your choice to not ask for the marsh badge, you have earned it; so here it is." She used her telekinesis to bring the badge made of two concentric golden circles to Mewtwo.

He grabbed it from the air and said, "Thank you. I will do my best to train under your guidance."

After Mewtwo put his new badge in his backpack and recalled Charles, Sabrina told him, "Your training begins now." At that moment, her eyes glowed red, and Mewtwo found his body covered in a blue glow.

He ended up bowing before her, against his will. "What is happening to me?"

"Stop!" Yan said. "You can't take control of him! You said you'd keep your end of the deal!"

"I _am_ keeping my end of the deal," Sabrina said as she made Mewtwo flatten his body on the floor.

The pressure applied to Mewtwo's body started to cause him pain. "How does this qualify as training?"

"I'm just giving you a taste of what psychic powers can do if wielded properly." She lifted Mewtwo off the floor and then sent him flying upward at high speed.

He thought he was going to hit the ceiling with his head, but Sabrina abruptly stopped him just before he could make contact with the surface.

"Psychic and telekinesis are only two of the many psychic type attacks that you can learn from me and my pokémon," Sabrina said. "But let's make a few things clear." She lowered Mewtwo until his feet were on the ground, and then released him from her powers' grip. "You will pay for your own food and water. You will not engage in fights with the other psychics. And last but not least, you will pay for any property damage you may cause during the training. That includes the spoons; and believe me, you will break many, many spoons before you'll learn to bend them safely."

"I agree with those conditions," Mewtwo said.

She looked at him with her blue eyes, as if to check if he meant what he said. "Good. Then you and your little friend will be offered a room to stay here over the course of the training. Prepare yourself, Mewtwo. Tonight will be your first session of spoon bending. It will be exhausting work, as you will soon find out."

▶ **To be continued.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Psychic Boot Camp**

Mewtwo focused his gaze on the spoon in his hand, breathing slowly and deeply while the spoon reflected an upside-down image of his face. The calm and silent atmosphere made him slowly close his eyes … and snore.

Sabrina used her telekinesis to slam a book onto the table where Mewtwo rested his head and upper body. "Wake up!"

Mewtwo flinched and opened his eyes. "What just fell?!"

"You were supposed to bend the spoon, not enter a trance!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Sabrina! I didn't mean to fall asleep. I–"

"Spare me the excuses. Now grab that spoon you've dropped on the table and put your mind to work!"

Mewtwo tried once more to telekinetically bend the spoon, but after five minutes of holding it he still wasn't getting any results. "I don't get it. I'm staring at it, and I'm imagining it bending, but it's still unbent."

Sabrina sighed, her disappointment readable on her face. "You're not supposed to imagine it. You must identify the psychic power inside your head, and then direct that power toward the spoon. Think of your forehead as a portal that can lead that power into the world outside of your brain."

"You can do it, Mewtwo!" Yan said. "I believe in you!"

Mewtwo smiled. "Right. I can feel the power. I just hope I can guide it out." He continued to stare at the spoon in his hand, ignoring his upside-down reflection.

* * *

Boris walked down the gym's hallway while holding a purple flower that had its root hidden in a ball of soil in his hands. The plant's smell was sweet, but, unfortunately for him, he could not enjoy it. His eyes were already getting watery, and his nostrils felt itchy. "Achoo!"

The door to his left got unhinged and flew toward Boris at high speed, pushing him into the opposite wall.

Through the door frame, Mewtwo stared at him. "Boris! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Boris snapped out of his confusion and realized he was sprawled on the floor, with a door on his back, and a flattened flower underneath him. "Ow, my aching … Achoo!"

Mewtwo came to Boris and grabbed him by the hand, helping him get up. With lowered ears, Mewtwo said, "I was trying to bend a spoon, and when I heard … that sound you made, I lost my focus and I guess my power was directed toward the source of the sound. I hope I didn't cause you any serious damage."

"That sound was me sneezing," Boris said. "I am allergic to the pollen of some flowers. As for you hurting me, don't worry; I have been put through similar stuff before."

Mewtwo took a peek inside Boris' mind and saw how Sabrina would punish him by slamming him into walls or dropping him from somewhat dangerous heights. "Why do you continue to serve her if she treats you that way?"

"That is none of your business, pokémon. You are here to be trained, not to interrogate the staff."

Trying to find out more from Boris' mind was futile. The teenager knew how to hide his memories and deep thoughts once he realized he was being checked. He reminded Mewtwo of Charles.

Sabrina stepped between them and said, "You have a lot of raw psychic power in your brain, Mewtwo. You are like me when I was just beginning to discover my telekinesis. But the worst I've managed to do back then was break a wooden support while trying to bend the cutlery in it."

Mewtwo searched through Sabrina's memories. "Wait. If that was your worst … then what about that time you've wrecked your own house?"

"I … meant to do that."

"Seriously?!" Yan said while Mewtwo just stared at Sabrina.

"I was angry," she said. "You don't know what it's like to be denied the freedom to develop your powers. My parents worried more about their possessions than about me. Dad never set aside time to teach me to control my powers, even though he was a psychic and he could have helped me the most. Mom was … scared. She wasn't psychic, and couldn't trust me like she trusted my dad. To her ... I was a demon!"

Mewtwo tried to get more answers from Sabrina's mind, but seeing that she interdicted him access to further memories, he decided to ask her what he wanted to know. "What happened to your parents?"

Her tone became calmer. "They … abandoned me. Let's leave it at that."

At that moment, Mewtwo understood it was best to stop discussing the subject of her parents. He could feel Sabrina's psychic energy increase, possibly due to the anger she contained inside herself.

"Anyway," she continued, "your power needs to be calibrated, otherwise it will destroy everything in its path, just like a wildfire."

"So how are you going to calibrate – whatever that means – his power?" Yan asked. "Are you going to fit him with an armored suit containing advanced machinery?"

"We have nothing of that kind around here. We will help Mewtwo adjust his powers through some simple exercises. I will discuss preparations with Boris, and we can begin your training tomorrow at noon, if I don't get any challengers at the gym."

* * *

The next day, Mewtwo, Yan, Sabrina, and Boris went to the gym's backyard. It was sunny outside, and the patch of freshly-planted purple flowers released their sweet scent into the air – much to Boris' discontent.

"For this exercise, you will stand here," Sabrina said while pointing at a path made of pebbles.

Mewtwo went to the spot indicated by her.

"Boris will throw plastic discs at you," she continued. "You must use your psychic powers to stop these discs before they reach you."

"I'm ready," Mewtwo said.

She looked at her servant. "Boris! Throw the first disc!"

"Yes, Great Sabrina!" he said, grabbing an orange plastic disc from the piled ones on a picnic table. He threw the disc at Mewtwo, who focused on it and repelled it with his mind.

Sabrina smirked. "Good. But can you handle two of them?"

Boris threw two discs at once, causing Mewtwo to fear that he would not be quick enough to direct his powers toward both of them on time.

Mewtwo pushed one disc away and then stepped to the side to avoid the other one, but it returned to hit the back of his head. "Ow!"

Sabrina's eyes were glowing red. "No dodging."

"Sorry. But how do I push away two of them when they're coming at about the same time?"

"Emit your psychic power in a wider cone," she said. "It will end up pushing everything in its path. Boris! Let's try it again!"

Boris threw two more discs, and Mewtwo managed to push them both away at the same time with psychic.

"Now it's time to get serious. Boris! Throw them in rapid succession!"

Boris followed Sabrina's orders and threw the plastic discs fast, causing Mewtwo to increase the rate at which he was sending out psychic pulses.

After a few more throws, the discs could no longer be stopped, and Mewtwo took a hit to the nose, one to the chest, one to the forehead, and another to the shoulder before he said, "Ouch! I cannot stop them anymore! What gives?!"

The discs kept coming while Sabrina said, "You don't have enough energy."

Mewtwo used his arms to protect his face from the discs that kept hitting him. "What?"

"You can only use an attack as long as you have sufficient energy for it. Since you can't use psychic anymore, you should switch to telekinesis, which requires less energy to use."

Having learned that, Mewtwo focused on the flying discs again and, instead of aiming to push them away, he used his power to stop them from reaching him, and then dropped them to catch the next ones. "Hey, I think I got the hang of this!"

"Good," Sabrina said.

After stopping a few more discs, he was unable to use telekinesis, and took several hits from the discs again. "What?! Now what do I do?"

"Now you either run or give up, because you've used up all your energy."

"Ouch! Ow! Darn it!" Mewtwo said before he hid behind a bush to avoid the discs.

"You have a long week of training ahead of you."

* * *

Over the course of that week, Mewtwo was put through a series of exercises that would help him increase his control over his powers. Some of the tests seemed straightforward, like the one where he had to help Boris – who equipped himself with a surgical mask against allergens – to remove weeds and plant flowers with the help of Mewtwo's psychic skill. The first time he participated in that exercise, he accidentally lifted some of the already-planted flowers and then dropped them over Boris when he realized his mistake.

Boris made his way out of the pile of soil. "Mewtwo!"

* * *

Other exercises seemed to have no connection to psychic powers from Mewtwo's point of view. He was told to run on a treadmill while Boris asked him questions. "Your opponent uses a pure dark type pokémon. What type of attack would you use against it?"

"Fighting type!" Mewtwo said.

"Correct. How about this: your opponent now uses a flying-dark type pokémon. What do you do?"

"Use a fighting type move again?"

"Wrong!" Boris said before pushing a button on the treadmill's console, increasing the belt's movement speed.

Mewtwo had to run faster to keep up with the treadmill's belt.

"A dark-flying type would not receive super effective damage from a fighting type attack. If you want to deal with such a pokémon, you will use a fairy, rock, ice, or electric attack. Let us continue. The opponent uses a fairy type pokémon. What do you do?"

Mewtwo remembered how Team Rocket dealt with the fairy type pokémon at Mt. Moon. "I use poison attacks!"

"Correct. If your opponent uses a psychic-fairy pokémon, what do you do?"

"Hmm, psychic is resistant to poison … so I'll hit it with dark type attacks!"

"Wrong!" Boris said, increasing the treadmill's speed.

Mewtwo could no longer keep up, so the belt slid him off the treadmill. "Wha'?!" He landed on his belly.

"The fairy typing reduces damage received from dark attacks. If you wish to maximize damage for this case, you will use poison attacks – and by the way, psychic types are not resistant to poison, but their attacks are effective against poison. You can also use ghost or steel type attacks."

* * *

Another exercise that Mewtwo couldn't understand the purpose of involved carrying a bag of compost on his back. Boris had to do the same thing, and they raced to the shed where the bags would be deposited. Both of them dropped just in front of the shed after carrying the second round of bags.

"I swear, this does not look like it has anything to do with training my psychic powers!" Mewtwo said.

"A strong mind … in a weak body … is wasted potential," Boris said between breaths. "Now get up and carry!" He managed to get back on his feet and took the bag to the shed.

Mewtwo, impressed by the perseverance of the teenager, got up and carried his bag to the shed too. There, he sat on a wooden crate next to the one on which Boris sat. He wondered what could be the motivation behind the guy's will to continue his training under Sabrina, given the pain he's been put through.

Boris looked at him. "You're still wondering why I'm training here."

Mewtwo remained telepathically silent.

Boris smiled. "I sought a place where I would be accepted."

"But she treats you like you're nothing to her," Mewtwo said.

"The Great Sabrina may be a bit brutal at times, but it is her anger that makes her be like that. She was seen as a monster even by her own parents. She wanted all psychics to have the opportunity to train in a place where they will not be antagonized. That was why she started the psychic boot camp program. When I found out that I could read people's minds and even 'speak' to them with the help of my thoughts, my family and friends distanced themselves from me. But here nobody fears me."

Before Mewtwo could comment on that, he could hear Sabrina say, "Hey, you two! Stop wasting time in the shed! There are four more bags to carry!"

"Let's go!" Boris said, leading the way.

* * *

The week continued with more advanced exercises, including teleportation, which was going to take place in the backyard.

"First, you send your psychic power through your entire body," Sabrina said, "and then you think of a place where you want to be." She started to irradiate a bright white light from her body, and then disappeared. Reappearing atop the gym's roof, she looked at Mewtwo. "Now it's your turn. I recommend teleporting over a very short distance first, until you get the hang of it."

"Here goes nothing!" Mewtwo said. He sensed the energy tickling the inside of his head, and then sent it throughout his body. Looking around, he settled for a spot on the path in front of him and thought of teleporting there. His body glowed white, and then disappeared, reappearing near the spot where he wanted to be, but on the grass instead of the path.

"You've teleported a bit further than you wanted to, but with time you'll master the technique. Try it again."

Mewtwo looked at the flower patch near him. He wanted to teleport there, so he used teleport again, but reappeared inside a bush near the flower patch. "Ouch! These branches …" He jumped out of the bush and rubbed his tail and right thigh. "I'll get it right eventually. I'll try again."

"Just be careful," Sabrina said. "Don't aim for teleporting over too long distances."

Mewtwo managed to finally teleport next to the flower patch. "I did it!" Then he decided to teleport around the backyard rapidly until he appeared in mid air and dropped hard onto the ground. Getting up, he said, "I think I've appeared at a slightly higher altitude than I wanted to. Hmm … What happens if I try to teleport back to the gym?"

"You are not ready for–" Before Sabrina could finish that sentence, Mewtwo had already teleported away and ended up with his head stuck through the gym's wall.

On the other side, Boris saw Mewtwo's head stick out of the wall behind Sabrina's throne, as if it were a hunting trophy. "You just had to get carried away."

Mewtwo grinned sheepishly at Boris.

* * *

In the gym's arena, Sabrina invited Mewtwo and Boris for more training.

"So what are we going to do now?" Mewtwo asked.

"Now, you will battle Boris' pokémon," Sabrina said.

"Hold on, I left my backpack in my room," Mewtwo told her.

"No. I said _you_ will battle. You will use your own powers."

"You mean I have to … be in the arena this time?"

"Yes. Boris! Use your espeon!"

Boris nodded to her and brought a poké ball out of his lab coat's right pocket. "Tanya! Go!"

Out of the poké ball, a quadrupedal creature with lilac fur came out. It had two large ears with green inner skin. In the middle of its forehead, above its purple eyes, a red, round gem sparkled. The pokémon waved its long, thin tail that was split in two at its end.

Mewtwo stepped forth to face the espeon.

"I've heard you've got an eevee," Boris said. "Espeon is one of its many possible evolved forms. Should you want to evolve your eevee into an espeon, all you have to do is be best buddies with it and then let it evolve during the day. Or you could let it evolve during the night if you want its opposite form, umbreon – a dark type pokémon."

"I'll consider it, but it's up to Vixie if she wants to evolve into one of those, or something else, or not evolve at all."

"Sounds fair. Now, let's get down to business. You will fight against my espeon as part of this lesson. Are you ready?"

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes."

"Tanya! Shadow ball!" Boris ordered while pointing at Mewtwo.

Tanya opened her mouth, and a black ball with purple light at its core formed in front of it. When she breathed out, the ball went straight toward Mewtwo, hitting his left arm that he put in front of his chest to defend himself.

After the dark fog cleared from around him, Mewtwo resumed his normal standing position while wiggling his tail. "That attack made my arm hurt a lot!"

"Well, you are a psychic type," Boris said, "and shadow ball is a ghost type attack."

"Can you teach me how to use that?"

"If you are capable of it, sure. But unless you are part ghost type – which doesn't seem to be the case – you won't be able to reach the full potential of shadow ball. It can be a devastating attack nonetheless if used against pokémon weak to ghost attacks."

"How does one learn shadow ball?"

"Different pokémon might not use the same method to channel the energies of the ghost type. Members of the eevee evolutionary line can form the orbs of shadow ball with their mouths, while pokémon that are bipedal and have arms might form the orbs between their hands."

Mewtwo put his palms together. "I'll try." He formed a gap between them and began to focus his psychic power into his hands. Sparks of blue light gathered in the gap and formed an orb that grew to the size of a basketball. Mewtwo then threw it at Tanya, who easily endured the hit and then just shook her head to remove the blue sparks from its fur.

"What you used there wasn't shadow ball," Boris said. "It was psychic; not very effective against a psychic type pokémon."

"But I thought psychic involved pushing objects away or even taking over the opponent's body. Why did it look like a sphere of light?"

"It is one way of using psychic. Abra can form psychic balls with their hands too. But enough about psychic. You are here to learn shadow ball so that you can get the upper hand when going against psychic type pokémon."

Mewtwo looked at his palms. "Then how do I use shadow ball?"

"You need to convert your psychic energy into ghost energy. Try looking into Tanya's mind while she performs the attack. Tanya! Use shadow ball on the ground!"

From Tanya's demonstration, Mewtwo learned how she used her negative emotions – fear in particular – to call up the conversion from psychic to ghost energy. As he read her mind, he could also see what Tanya feared most: losing her trainer. It was no wonder, since an espeon's existence is proof of the bond between a pokémon and its trainer.

Tanya opened her mouth, formed a shadow ball in front of it, and then blew it toward the ground, leaving a hole that was just deep enough to make a warm nest for her, which she immediately filled as she curled in it.

Mewtwo tried to form a shadow ball between his hands while using the newly-learned method. He felt the psychic energy increase in his head, and then he searched through his mind for memories of moments when he felt fear. _What would be the perfect memory to use for this? Maybe the one about how I felt when I woke up in that container … No, that isn't working. The one about Team Rocket threatening to steal pokémon? No, that just made me feel anger._ "I cannot find any scary memories to fuel the shadow ball."

"Well, at least you've learned about what you need for it. If you are capable of using it, you might even create one during the last few days of this week."

"Yeah, maybe Sabrina could scare me," Mewtwo said and then chuckled.

Boris smiled at him. "I don't think there's anything she could do to scare you. After all, you were brave enough to challenge her."

"Then I'll have to find some other way."

* * *

During the final three days of his training week, Mewtwo became skilled enough to manage his energy for psychic and telekinesis attacks, and avoided all the discs thrown at him by Boris. He became slightly stronger physically due to lifting and carrying compost bags on his back, and this made his mind much stronger as well. He had broken ten spoons while trying to bend them using telekinesis, but after that he managed to successfully bend thirty spoons by limiting his power properly. His memory proved to be in pretty good shape as well, managing to remember almost all of the type advantages of pokémon – he still had some problems figuring out that fairy attacks would be strong against a dark-ghost pokémon. In the arena, he used teleport to avoid all of the attacks of Boris' espeon, and teleported himself into a wall only four times.

* * *

Mewtwo's last training session focused once more on getting him to create a shadow ball successfully. He stood on the battlefield and stared at his hands. Psychic energy gathered inside his head, ready to be converted into ghost energy. All he needed was a memory of a time when he felt intense fear, so he chose to think of that time when he saw the bones of a pokémon in the shell from the transparent container in the Cinnabar Island laboratory. It was only enough to allow him to create a few dark sparks between his hands. Then the process stopped. "I was so close! And now I feel too tired to try again."

"So you _can_ learn it," Boris said. "If you keep practicing, you will be able to create a proper shadow ball eventually."

Sabrina approached Mewtwo. "You have learned everything I could teach you about psychic powers, but you must continue training even after you leave. One last thing. Do not train on living targets until you have mastered using your power to control objects. Otherwise, the results could be … messy."

Mewtwo stared at her with wide eyes after hearing that last part. "Thank you for that warning."

"Now that your lessons are over, you are free to leave, but not before you pay 300 pokémon dollars to cover the costs of repairing the damage you have caused to the gym walls and the ten spoons."

Mewtwo put his right hand behind his head and said, "Right … Can you take that out of my trainer account? I don't have cash on me right now."

"Of course. You'll have to initiate the transaction through your pokédex."

Mewtwo smiled. "That sounds convenient enough. I will go get my bag." He began walking toward the room where he had stayed over the week, but then remembered he had another question that had been on his mind ever since Sabrina accepted his request. "Hey, Sabrina … You could have easily captured me instead of holding your end of the deal. Did you train me just to be fair, or was there some other reason?"

She looked at him with a serious expression on her face. "While one of the reasons was that I wanted to keep my word, I also had to consider the consequences of capturing you."

"So you _did_ consider capturing me, even after my team won."

"Having a powerful pokémon as part of my team did sound tempting, but your psychic power far surpasses mine. If I had captured you and kept you untrained, you would be of no use to me, and you'd just let your power run wild, devastating this place. If I had captured you and taught you how to use your powers, you'd use that knowledge and your power to rebel against me, and you'd still go free. The last option I had was to train you, then let you go free to use your powers to defeat Team Rocket – and that is the only option I could see that would result in a good outcome."

"I will do my best to stop Team Rocket. I promise that your time spent training me did not go to waste."

* * *

The sun was setting, turning the blue sky and the white clouds into a mix of purples, reds, oranges and yellows once Mewtwo and Yan left the Saffron Gym.

Yan broke the silence. "So now that you've learned to control your powers somewhat, what's next?"

Mewtwo looked at the sky. "Well … I want to continue my path to becoming a pokémon master, but at the same time I want to take on Team Rocket."

"I think we'll run into them anyway, since they're causing trouble around Kanto quite often, so why not go challenge the next gym?"

"I agree. Let's go to the next gym!" Mewtwo said, pointing forward. "But which will be the next gym?"

"Let's see ..." Yan said as they both stopped walking. "To the south there is Vermilion City, where Lieutenant Surge runs a gym focused on electric type pokémon. You don't have any ground types to resist electric attacks."

"I have Charles, and he knows how to dig. That might be useful. Vixie and Buzz could do neutral damage in case Charles won't be enough."

"Yeah, but Charles is part flying type, so it would be easy for Lieutenant Surge to use his raichu to knock Charles out pretty fast."

"Then what other gym could I challenge?"

"There's Cerulean City to the north, but it has a water type gym. You don't have any grass or electric types, and Charles would be at a huge disadvantage there, since he doesn't know any electric or grass attacks."

Mewtwo looked at the pavement. "I guess I will need to catch more pokémon to challenge those gyms. It would be too risky to go for them right now. Any other gyms I could challenge in the meantime?"

Yan thought for a moment. "Oh! The Fuchsia Gym! If we head west through Celadon and then go down route 17, and then head east, we can get to that gym!"

"What types of pokémon does it focus on?"

"Poison types. But Koga, the gym leader, often uses pokémon that are part bug type. Charles could make short work of those, although he might have trouble dealing with koffing if Koga chooses to use one in battle. Koffing has the ability to levitate, so using ground attacks on it won't work."

Mewtwo smiled at Yan. "We'll find a way around that. It's settled. We're heading for the Fuchsia Gym!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Evolutionary Stones**

As the night fell over Kanto, Mewtwo and Yan rode bikes over the bridge that connected route 16 to route 18. Charles and Vixie ran alongside them while Buzz flew above.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let pokémon run on the bridge," Yan said. "The lady who rented out these bikes to us said that only cyclists and bikers are allowed here."

"But this place is perfect for them to get some exercise," Mewtwo said, "although it would have been great if they could ride bikes too."

"I think a field would have been a safer place for them."

As the duo and the pokémon continued their journey over the bridge, a group of four bikers passed them by. The bikers stared in awe at Mewtwo, then sped up so they could surpass them. Once they reached the end of the bridge, they discussed how odd it was to see a pokémon ride a bicycle.

Mewtwo could hear their thoughts while being further from earshot. He didn't mind the gossip, since he was probably the first pokémon to ride a bike. When he and Yan arrived at the end of the Cycling Road Bridge, the bikers took one last look at Mewtwo before riding away.

Mewtwo and Yan left the bicycles next to the stand where a blonde lady rented out bicycles and recovered the ones rented from the other side of Cycling Road.

All of Mewtwo's pokémon were exhausted due to the running, so their trainer began to recall them, starting with Charles. Once Buzz returned to his ball, Mewtwo looked around for Vixie. He saw her next to what seemed to be a larger eevee whose yellow tail, fluffy crest, and collar along with its red body made it look like a living flame.

"Cool!" Yan said. "A flareon!"

The flareon's trainer was a teenager wearing a white shirt and red pants. His red hair looked like a flame, making him a perfect match with his pokémon.

Vixie talked to the flareon in her own language, and a conversation started.

"Is that your eevee, kid?" the guy with red hair asked while looking at Yan.

"No, it's his," Yan said while pointing at Mewtwo.

"Hi! I'm Mewtwo."

The redhead flinched. "Whoa there! A talking pokémon?!"

"I'm actually using telepathy," Mewtwo said.

"So, you're a trainer."

"Yes. I'm an official trainer."

"Now this is something I've never heard of before," the redhead said before reaching out with his right hand toward Mewtwo. "My name's Pyro."

Mewtwo grabbed and shook the guy's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You know, since you're training an eevee, you could come to the evolution party we'll be holding tomorrow at noon."

Mewtwo tilted his head to the side while forming a question mark with his tail. "I … What's a party?"

Pyro raised his right eyebrow. "You've never been to a party?"

"No. I don't know much about this world. I was created recently by some scientists from Cinnabar Island."

"A created pokémon? Well, my brothers will consider you an interesting guest. To answer your question, a party is an event where there's lots of food, people, and fun activities. Here's your invitation." Pyro dug into his left pocket and then took out a card.

Mewtwo accepted the card and smiled. "So, do you evolve pokémon at that party?"

"Yes, but not just _any_ pokémon. We focus on those that can evolve with the help of evolutionary stones. Some of the stones can be found at Evolution Mountain, while others my family and I have collected from other regions during our many trips. Our youngest brother, Mikey, will receive an eevee of his own for his birthday, so that's why we're throwing the party in the first place."

"Well, I'm all for joining the party. What do you say, Yan?"

The youngster grinned. "I say sure, let's party with them!"

"Then see you tomorrow," Pyro said before jogging away with his flareon running by his side.

Mewtwo looked at Yan. "Where are we going to sleep tonight though?"

"We should book a room at a hotel," Yan said.

* * *

The genetic pokémon and the youngster got a room at a hotel in Fuchsia City and spent the night there. When morning came, they had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. The Fuchsia Gym was close to the hotel, but it would have to wait. The duo had a party to join, so they went to Stone Town, which was located at the bottom of Evolution Mountain.

"This is the place," Yan said while looking at the card and then at the blue mansion surrounded by stone walls in front of them.

The gates were wide open, and at least ten people could be seen in the front yard, many of them standing near white-clothed round tables that had plates of gourmet food on them. As Mewtwo and Yan passed the gates, they also saw that to their right there was a pool with a fountain in its middle. Green grass covered the ground on the sides of the gray paved path, and tall, thin trees decorated the yard's edges near the walls.

"Ah, there you are! Welcome to the party!" Pyro said, approaching the two new guests while his flareon followed him with its head held high.

"Hi!" Mewtwo said. "Nice place you have here."

"Thanks. It's perfect for events. I want you to meet my brothers." Pyro pointed at a guy who had blond spiky hair and wore a white sleeveless shirt just like Pyro's, and yellow pants. "He's Sparky, and his pokémon is a jolteon." Then he pointed at a guy who also had a white sleeveless shirt but whose blue hair was styled as if it were made of fins – matching with his blue pants. "He's Rainer, and his pokémon is a vaporeon." Finally he pointed at a brown-haired kid who seemed to be younger than Yan. "And he's our birthday boy, Mikey!"

"Hello!" Mikey said, smiling at the two guests. "Hey, are you that pokémon my brother told me about?"

"If he mentioned a talking pokémon, then that indeed would be me," Mewtwo said.

Mikey looked confused about something. "How do you talk with your mouth closed?"

"It's telepathy. I can … talk with the help of my thoughts."

"Wow!"

"Speaking of pokémon," Pyro said, "it's time for you to get your present, Mikey. Sparky, give it to him!"

Sparky went to get something from under a table. It was so big that he had to hold it with both of his arms. When he approached Mikey, Mewtwo and Yan could see that it was a glass cylinder with a copper lid. Inside the object, a brown egg with cream-colored, thick, zigzag lines was kept safe.

"What is that?" Mewtwo asked.

"It's an incubator," Sparky said, "and inside it there's an eevee egg." He passed the incubator to Mikey. "Happy birthday, Mikey!"

Mikey hugged the incubator. "Thank you!"

The egg began to shine bright white.

Mikey stared at it. "Oh?"

"It's about to hatch!" Pyro said.

After three shakes, the egg took the shape of an eevee, and then stopped glowing. The eevee made its way out of the incubator and was met with Mikey's friendly brown eyes.

"Hello!" Mikey said, smiling at the newborn pokémon.

After bringing Vixie out, Mewtwo noticed that Mikey's eevee was slightly smaller than her.

"Now that you have your first pokémon, you must learn to take care of it," Sparky said. "Then one day, when you'll be an official trainer, you can evolve your eevee. You could evolve it into a jolteon like mine! It can turn its fur into needles that can be shot at its foes!"

His pokémon stood at his feet. It was a yellow version of eevee whose fur was all spiky like its short tail. Its eyes were black, and the collar around its neck was white.

"Jolteon! Show us your pin missile attack!"

On Sparky's order, his jolteon scattered yellow needles out of its white mane.

Pyro butted in. "Or, if you like the power of fire, you could evolve your eevee into a flareon! Just look at that flaming fluffiness!"

His flareon stood next to him, looking proud.

"Flareon! Fire spin!" Pyro ordered.

Flareon opened its mouth and spat a spiral of fire out of it.

"However," Rainer added, "if you want a really cool pokémon, you could evolve it into a vaporeon! It can make itself invisible in water!"

His vaporeon looked like a blue, hairless eevee. Its ears and crest looked like fins, and a dark blue marking on the back of its head extended into a ridge that went down its back. The vaporeon's tail was split in two at the end, making it look like a fish tail. Around its neck, it had a white collar resembling a fin. The creature jumped into the pool and turned itself invisible to display its ability.

Mikey's eevee approached Vixie and smelled her. They started a conversation, and then ran around playing with each other.

"So, what about you, Mewtwo?" Pyro asked.

Mewtwo turned around to look at him. "Huh?"

"Do you want to evolve your eevee, or any other pokémon of yours? Can you evolve yourself?"

"I'm not sure about evolving my eevee, and my other two pokémon are a charizard and a beedrill. I'm not sure if they can evolve any further. As for me, I don't know if I can evolve."

"It would be interesting to see if any of these stones could evolve ya," Yan said. "Maybe you'd evolve into a mewthree or something."

"Hmm, yeah, that seems worth a shot," Mewtwo said. "I could become even more powerful, and then Team Rocket would not stand a chance!"

"We have plenty of stones you could try," Pyro said. "The fire, water, thunder, and leaf stones are from Evolution Mountain, the moon stones are from Mount Moon, the dusk stones are from the Wayward Cave in Sinnoh, and the dawn stones are from Mount Coronet, which is also a place in Sinnoh."

"Which one do you want to try, Mewtwo?" Yan asked.

"Well … I'd like to try the thunder stone. If I'll have to fight for my team, I'd like to fill in the electric spot."

Pyro pointed at the table that had the stones on it. "Feel free to touch and test them out. Perhaps one of them might trigger an evolution in you."

Mewtwo nodded. Before he walked up to the table, he was distracted by a balloon he saw fly in the distance. It had a meowth head with a tail and a raised left paw. It reminded him of the friend Team Rocket stole from him. One more reason to go through with the attempt to evolve.

The thunder stone was green and semitransparent, with a yellow thunderbolt shape inside it. Mewtwo touched it and … nothing happened.

"Try the other stones," Pyro said.

Mewtwo's next choice was the fire stone, which was semitransparent orange with a flame frozen inside it. This stone had no effect as well. He tried the blue water stone, which had bubbles inside it, but it didn't do anything either. The leaf stone, which was a piece of rock with a leaf on it, also did not react to his touch. His attempts at using the purple dusk stone, the gray moon stone, and the sparkling, greenish-blue dawn stone that had a star with eight corners inside it failed as well.

Pyro shrugged. "I guess you don't evolve using evolutionary stones. Maybe you evolve under other conditions, like when you reach a certain level. Although there are a few other types of stones out there that we do not have yet, so you could try those if you find any. But not all pokémon can evolve, so you might be one of those that can't."

"So, I can't get any stronger," Mewtwo said while staring at the ground. "At least not yet."

"Cheer up!" Yan said. "Even if you can't evolve, you were made to be the strongest pokémon in the world. Once you get to master your psychic skills, you'll be an unstoppable force!"

"Right. Sabrina didn't teach me all those techniques for nothing."

"Well, you can't evolve using these stones," Pyro said, "but you could use one on your eevee."

Mewtwo looked at Vixie, who kept playing with Mikey's eevee. He walked up to her. "Vixie?"

Vixie looked at him with her large, brown eyes. "Vee?"

"Would you like to evolve?"

His eevee seemed to ponder.

"You don't have to evolve," Mewtwo said. "But if you do want to, I could use a stone to turn you into one of them." He pointed at the jolteon, flareon, and vaporeon, who were sitting next to each other near a table.

Before Vixie could give her answer, speaker feedback noise burst out loudly from somewhere in the area, followed by music that sounded like it was played with a pipe organ. Everyone in the yard turned to see what was going on. They saw two people and the meowth head balloon between two large, black speakers.

"Prepare for trouble!" the redhead woman from Team Rocket said, holding a microphone hooked to an amplifier.

"And make it double!" her colleague with lavender hair followed up, holding a microphone as well.

From there they took turns, the woman saying one line, and then the man saying the next one.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" the redhead said while pointing the microphone toward the sky.

"James!" the guy with lavender hair said while smirking at the audience.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" she said.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" he said.

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth said after jumping and landing between the Team Rocket duo.

Mewtwo scowled at them. "Meowth! Stop helping these crooks!"

Meowth's eyes widened when he saw his old friend. "Meow! You again?!"

"Stay away from them! They're nothing but trouble!" Mewtwo said.

" _We_ are nothing but trouble!" Meowth told him. "We warned you to prepare for it. Now it's time to see who listened. Do it, guys!"

Jessie and James brought out their missile launchers from the balloon's basket and fired them at the crowd. The missiles exploded, causing thick, gray smoke to spread all over the place.

"They'll be asleep in no time," Jessie said.

"Then we can grab the stones, and maybe a pokémon or two," James told her.

Meowth pointed at the smoke, which was lifted by an unseen force from beneath it. "Something weird is happening."

While most of the trainers and pokémon were asleep, Mewtwo was still awake and used his psychic power to push the smoke away. He looked around and saw Pyro, who was coughing on the ground. Mikey was still awake due to having held his breath during the attack. His eevee was snoozing in his arms. A bit further from them, Vixie sat with her paws covering her snout. When she realized that the smoke was gone, she stood on all fours again.

"Team Rocket, you will pay for this!" Mewtwo said, his eyes glowing bright blue as he reached out with his right hand. He brought his three fingers together slowly and stopped the balloon from taking off with the Rocket Trio.

The balloon was getting crushed from all sides by something invisible while Jessie, James, and Meowth all screamed and hugged each other, thinking they were doomed.

"Mewtwo! Stop!" Yan said, in spite of being very dizzy. "Remember … Remember what Sabrina said?"

"I've got them right where I want them!" Mewtwo said, still focused on trying to pull the balloon toward him. His power was beginning to squeeze the trio.

Yan slowly walked up to him. "She said … to not use … your powers … so soon … on anything that lives." He dropped to the ground and fell asleep.

"But … I can't let them go so easily!" Mewtwo said. "Perhaps ..." His eyes stopped glowing, and the balloon was released from his power's grip.

"We're safe!" the Rocket Trio members said at the same time.

Mewtwo dug through his backpack's right pocket and brought out a poké ball, which he then levitated above his right hand while his eyes glowed again. "Charles! I choose you!"

The poké ball sent out Charles, who materialized and looked around. He saw the trainers, some of them awake, others sleeping along with their pokémon. A strange fear took hold of him. "Rizaaard!" he roared before proceeding to use flamethrower and spin around, hoping to roast everyone in the area.

Mewtwo used his power to redirect the flames toward the sky. "Charles! What are you doing?!"

After stopping and looking at the trainers again, Charles spread his wings and ran in circles through the yard until, for the first time, he managed to lift off and fly four meters above the ground. It was a clumsy flight, but he aimed to get out of there as fast as possible.

Mewtwo held the poké ball in his right hand and pointed it at Charles. "What has gotten into you? Return to your poké ball, Charles!"

After two failed attempts, the charizard was finally recalled – an act that spared Stone Town the destruction that might have struck it otherwise.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Jessie said.

Meowth smacked Jessie and James behind their heads. "Meow! Let's get out of here, ya dummies!"

"But the stones ..." James said.

"Forget the stones! Mewtwo's gonna get us killed!"

Jessie and James decided that listening to Meowth was a good idea – given the circumstances – so they made the balloon lift off again.

"Buzz! Go get them!" Mewtwo said as he made another poké ball levitate in his hand.

Buzz came out and saw Team Rocket. He flew toward them while Mewtwo ordered him to poke holes in the balloon.

"Look! It's a shiny!" Jessie said while pointing at the green beedrill.

"What does it do?" James asked.

"It's a rare color variant! If we capture it, the boss will probably give us a raise!"

"How are we going to capture it?"

Meowth had wrapped some rope around one of the bars of a cage that was in the balloon's basket and lifted it, pointing its open door toward Buzz. "With this!"

Buzz tried to get to the balloon, but Meowth threw the cage at him and then pulled it with the rope, closing the door so that the beedrill could not escape. "Gotcha!"

"Bzzz! Zzzzzz zzz zzt!"

"Yeah, yeah, like anyone can reach us up here," Meowth said, smiling nonchalantly.

"Buzz!" Mewtwo cried out. "How am I going to get him back now?"

Vixie saw her teammate struggle in the cage. She was the last one who could help. Swinging her glowing tail, she used swift, but the stars only bounced off the balloon. Then she remembered that she had the option to use a stone to evolve. It was time for her to make an important decision.

The water, thunder, and fire stones stood there before her, on the table she had jumped on. Choosing to evolve meant that she would never be able to revert to an eevee. She was worried that it could change her personality and that she might have trouble getting along with her trainer. But part of her wanted to be stronger. She always wanted to fight, and this was her chance. Yet, if she would choose an evolution that would prove to be too weak to help, she'd have no way of making another choice. She'd be stuck in that form for the rest of her life.

Mewtwo continued to stare helplessly at the balloon. "I want to use my powers to stop them. I really want to, Buzz. But … I risk killing you with them. I just can't ..."

Vixie finally made up her mind. She closed her eyes and slammed her right paw onto the stone she deemed fit for herself.

"Hey, what's that pokémon doing there?" Meowth asked.

"It's evolving!" Jessie said.

Mewtwo turned around to see what was going on. "Vixie? Is that you?"

Vixie nodded, her fur all spiked up and letting off sparks. "Jolt jolt!"

"You became a … jolteon!" he said, his mouth remaining open.

Vixie focused her eyes on the balloon and launched her needle-like hairs forward, puncturing and deflating it. This brought team rocket back on the ground.

"What do we do now?" James asked.

"We run, that's what!" Meowth said.

"Joooolt!" Vixie growled while charging up an electric attack in the fur on her back. "Jolt!" She launched an arc of lightning which blasted the Rocket Trio out of the neighborhood.

"Team Rocket's blasting off to the stars!" Jessie, James, and Meowth said as they spun away in the air until no one could see them anymore.

* * *

Half an hour later, all of the trainers were fully awake, and their pokémon were starting to wake up as well.

Mikey's eevee gave him a lick on the cheek once it woke up in his arms. The boy smiled at it.

Yan went next to Mewtwo. "What happened after I fell asleep? Where's Team Rocket?"

"Vixie zapped them away and saved Buzz too," Mewtwo said.

"Cool!" Yan said. He looked around. "Where is she?"

"She's the smaller jolteon playing with the other three evolved eevees."

"She evolved into jolteon?!"

"Heh! I knew you would make the right choice!" Sparky said to Mewtwo.

"It wasn't my choice," Mewtwo told him. "Vixie chose to evolve. I hope she is happy with her choice though. If I were more careful, she'd not have to evolve unprepared."

"Hey, we all were faced with choices we had to make," Pyro said. "We just have to accept that we'll live with them."

Rainer seemed disappointed. "Well, you can't turn it into a vaporeon anymore."

Mewtwo went to speak with Vixie. "Hey, Vixie. So … is this what you really wanted? Are you okay with being a jolteon for the rest of your life?"

"Jol …" Vixie said, looking into his eyes.

Mewtwo read what she was thinking, so he said, "Don't worry; I'm not mad at you. I didn't even know what to choose. I always wanted you to be the one who makes the choice whether to evolve or not. If being a jolteon is what you wanted, then I'm happy for you." He smiled at her, and she smiled back before jumping in his arms and licking his face. The spiky hairs were surprisingly soft.

"Well, Mikey," Sparky said, "one day you will be given the choice to evolve your eevee too. Just wait a few years until you've learned how to train it properly."

"Mhm!" Mikey said while his eevee sat to his right.

Pyro brought some plates of food and put them on the tables. "Let's get to the feast!"

"Good idea!" Mewtwo said. "My pokémon are probably hungry. I'll have to save some food for Charles too. It seems I can't bring him out when there are too many trainers around."

"What did Charles do?" Yan asked while searching for Nutcracker's poké ball in his right pocket.

"He almost went on a rampage. Good thing I recalled him before he could fly away."

"He actually managed to fly?!"

"I guess you could call that chaotic wing flapping 'flying', but he still had a difficult time keeping himself in the air."

"I wonder what startled him," Yan said while rubbing his chin. Then he used his poké ball. "Nutcracker! Come out!"

The raticate materialized next to the youngster and smelled the scent of tasty food.

"Charles hates trainers," Mewtwo said. "I still don't know why. I hope he will open up to me some day."

"Hey, guys! Get some food before it's all gone!" Pyro said.

And so, Mewtwo, Yan, Nutcracker, Vixie, and Buzz went to eat, and food was set aside for Charles. It was a good idea to have the entire team well-fed, because later that day, Mewtwo would have to challenge the Fuchsia Gym.

▶ **To be continued.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Poisonous Trickery**

Fuchsia City was unusually quiet. Most of its houses had walls and roofs that were in a state of neglect. The city's railway station was abandoned, grass growing between the tracks. In the middle of the city, a lone, dried up fir tree stood tall in front of a pokémon center.

"I find it strange that this place has a hotel," Yan said. "Doesn't seem to get many visitors."

"I'm sure that at least some trainers come here every now and then," Mewtwo said. "The gym seems to still be active."

The gym's old-fashioned Japanese roof had a much brighter fuchsia color than that of the dirty, damaged roofs of the other houses. Its door was wide open, as if welcoming trainers to enter.

Mewtwo walked in, and Yan followed him.

"Venonat!" a small creature said, approaching Mewtwo to analyze him. It was purple, fuzzy, with big, pink eyes, a pair of long, white antennae, and tiny, ivory mandibles connected to a pink nose. The creature's stubby limbs were cream colored.

"Aw, aren't you a cute little fellow?" Mewtwo said, reaching toward the purple creature to pet it.

"Veno!" it said before zipping away in an instant.

"It's a venonat," Yan said.

"Oh, we have visitors!" a teenage girl with long, green hair said as she entered the hallway. "Greetings! I am Aya, sister of the gym leader Koga." She was dressed in a pink ninja suit. After observing Mewtwo, she asked, "Are you … that pokémon who has been challenging gyms around Kanto?"

"Well, miss, unless there is another pokémon doing that around here, then I am that pokémon. I am Mewtwo, and I challenge all gyms I can find, including this one. May I please speak to Koga?"

"Sure. Right this way."

* * *

"Mewtwo?!" Koga said, staring at the bipedal feline pokémon who stood before him. The gym leader had spiky, black hair, was dressed in a blue ninja suit and had a red scarf.

"That's me!"

"Just when I was thinking that there would be no more challengers coming to this little old gym … I am honored to meet you."

Koga and Mewtwo shook hands while Yan asked, "How many challengers come here a day?"

The gym leader sighed. "Zero today before you two showed up, zero yesterday, and same the day before yesterday … It's been one whole week of no visits until now."

"People keep leaving Fuchsia City," Aya said. "There isn't much to do around here. Even Koga and I have been planning on moving our gym to our Ninja Mansion in the forest nearby. The mansion becoming a gym might attract more challengers and tourists."

"Can I still challenge you now, Mister Koga?"

"Sure, Mewtwo. This gym will still function until the end of this year's League season, so we can battle right now if you're ready."

Mewtwo nodded. "I am ready."

* * *

The arena – a rectangular patch of soil – was surrounded by some rocks and the gym's wooden floor. On Koga's side, there was a golbat. On Mewtwo's side, there was Vixie.

"Good choice to counter my golbat's flying type," Koga said. "But are you prepared for our tricks?"

Mewtwo's tail formed a question mark. "What do you mean by that?"

"You will soon find out. Golbat! Confuse ray!"

Golbat's body shone bright white, and Vixie became confused upon witnessing its light.

"Vixie! Do your best to stay focused!" Mewtwo said.

Vixie nodded. "Jol!" She could barely maintain her balance, but she knew that her electric attacks were easy to aim.

"You could tell her to use thunder wave to paralyze the golbat," Yan told Mewtwo. "That might level the playing field."

"Okay," Mewtwo said. "Vixie! Use thunder wave on Golbat!"

Vixie charged up her fur and scattered yellow sparks toward the opponent. Golbat tried to avoid the attack, but it was no use. The sparks made contact with the flying pokémon's skin, paralyzing it and causing it to crash.

"Golbat! Use toxic!" Koga ordered.

"Gol … bat?" It was still paralyzed.

"Let's see what else you can do ..." Mewtwo said while searching through Vixie's mind. "Hey, do you think you could use your most powerful attack, Vixie?"

"Teon?" Vixie said.

"Yeah, thunder."

Vixie started charging thunder while Golbat struggled to take to the air again.

"Golbat! Use toxic!"

Golbat followed Koga's order and fired a jet of purple liquid at Vixie, poisoning her. She fired off a thunder attack, but it missed her opponent.

"Try again, Vixie!" Mewtwo said.

The jolteon tried to charge another thunder attack, but tripped and fell, hurting herself in her confusion. The poison was weakening her muscles and giving her nausea.

"Golbat! Mega drain!" Koga ordered.

Golbat tried to fly toward Vixie, but crashed due to his wings' muscles being paralyzed.

"Vixie! Thunder again!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie got back up, charged her fur, and then unleashed thunder on Golbat, knocking the opponent out.

"Congratulations!" Koga said. "But your jolteon is going to fall to the poison soon, and I still have three more pokémon."

"Well, I have two more," Mewtwo said. "But we'll do our best."

"Good. Venonat! Go!"

"Venonat!" the fuzzy creature said as it appeared out of the ball Koga threw.

Vixie snapped out of her confusion, but the poison was still eating away at her.

"Venonat! Sleep powder!" Koga ordered.

Venonat shook its body, releasing tiny scales that scattered everywhere.

Vixie could not avoid them, so she fell asleep. Mewtwo recalled her.

"Things aren't looking too good for you now," Koga said.

Mewtwo used his psychic powers to bring a poké ball out of his backpack's pocket. "That may be true, but I've got a pokémon that should handle your venonat pretty well. Go, Charles!"

Charles came out and materialized, spreading his wings. "Zaaar!" He glared at Koga for a bit, but then focused on Venonat.

"This should be easy for you, Charles," Mewtwo said. "Fire blast, now!"

The charizard inhaled deeply, then exhaled the star-shaped blast toward the opponent, instantly winning the fight.

"Venonat, return!" Koga said. "That is an interesting charizard. I've never seen one with markings like those before."

"I think it has to do with him being a created pokémon," Mewtwo said.

"Let's see how well he does against my next pokémon. Grimer! Go!"

Grimer came out of its poké ball. The creature was a mass of purple sludge half as tall as Charles. It had a large mouth and two big, white eyes with black pupils. A pair of three-fingered hands extended out of its body, the ooze dripping off them.

"A pure poison type," Yan said.

Mewtwo smirked. "That is good news."

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Koga said. "Grimer! Toxic!"

Grimer opened its mouth wider and spat a stream of purple liquid at Charles. Once hit by the attack, Charles became badly poisoned. His body felt heavier than usual.

"Hang on Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Dig and attack from below!"

Charles begrudgingly used his claws to dig into the arena's soil, disappearing from Grimer's sight.

Koga rubbed his chin. "Hmm, a charizard that knows dig. I must admit, I did not expect you to pull that off."

Grimer looked around and slid its body toward random locations in the arena in an attempt to avoid an attack from below.

Charles burst from the ground, hitting part of Grimer's lower body. "Rizaaard!" He almost managed to fly, but then the poison made him crash.

"Hang on, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Hit him with a fire blast and you'll have the win in the bag!"

Charles took in a deep breath, then spat the fire blast at Grimer. The opponent was hit, but didn't faint yet.

"Grimer! Mud bomb!" Koga ordered.

Grimer used its remaining strength to take some soil from the ground and moisturize it with its right hand's sludge. Then it threw the mud at Charles' face.

"Chararaaa!" Charles cried out, shaking his head to get the mud out of his eyes.

Mewtwo wagged his tail. "Don't let that stop you, Charles! Your opponent is very exhausted. We can do this!"

As the poison continued to deal its damage, Charles' tail flame started to burn bright white.

"Listen, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Don't use fire blast this time. You can't see too well due to your sore eyes. Use flamethrower!"

Charles growled at him and then tried to focus on Grimer. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the shape of the purple blob in front of him. "Rizaaard!"

"Charles, I know what you're thinking. Don't do that!"

Charles let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils. He wanted to deal the highest damage possible to his opponent in revenge. He breathed in, and then spat out another fire blast.

Grimer dodged the attack and laughed at the severely weakened charizard that stood hunched before it.

"Charles!" Mewtwo said while face-palming. "Not again."

Koga saw the chance to strike and took it. "Grimer! Sludge wave!"

Grimer's body emitted a dark purple sludge from its foot and then sent it toward Charles, knocking him out.

Mewtwo sighed and held a poké ball in his right hand. "Come back, Charles."

"You are down to one pokémon," Koga said, "and I still have two."

"I put all of my hopes into this one," Mewtwo said as he used his psychic power to bring out another ball. "Buzz! I choose you!"

Buzz came out and locked his blue eyes onto the grimer. "Bzz!"

Koga smiled. "Oh. A shiny beedrill. Nice catch."

"Initially, I intended to return him to his family," Mewtwo said, "but it turns out that they don't want him, and he just can't stay out of trouble by himself."

"Let's see how well you've trained him. Grimer! Use gunk shot!"

"Watch out, Buzz!" Mewtwo said.

Buzz dodged the purple jet that Grimer spat at him.

His trainer smiled. "Nice work, Buzz! It's our turn now! Sting Grimer with your needles!

The beedrill flew toward Grimer and stung it with his arms' needles, sending his bug energy through them. Since the opponent was already very tired, it fainted.

Koga recalled Grimer and then brought out his fourth poké ball. "Good job getting this far, Mewtwo. I never thought I'd see the day when pokémon could train other pokémon. Battling you is truly an amazing experience. This is my last pokémon. Good luck. Koffing! Go!"

The purple ball of skin came out of its poké ball. "Koffing!" Noxious gasses escaped through its protrusions' holes.

"I really wanted to use toxic again," Koga said, "but since beedrill is immune to poisoning, it would be a waste of an attack turn. Therefore, I will use this other attack that your beedrill won't like. Koffing! Flamethrower!"

Yan's jaw dropped. "Not good!"

Buzz got hit with a jet of fire and landed next to the edge of the arena where his trainer and Yan stood.

Mewtwo looked into the beedrill's mind before saying, "Buzz! Use that anger you feel right now to strike with all of your force!"

Buzz got back on his feet, then flew into the air again. A red aura surrounded his body as he drew power from his wrath caused by being burned.

"Is that … outrage?" Yan asked.

"I guess so," Mewtwo told him.

Buzz flew at high speed toward Koffing and attacked it from all sides while buzzing.

"Koffing! Use flamethrower again!" Koga ordered.

Buzz managed to avoid the attack and continued his striking frenzy, his needles leaving nasty scratches on Koffing's soft, purple skin.

Yan crossed his arms at his chest. "Outrage is a very powerful attack, but ..."

Buzz stopped attacking and started to feel dizzy, flying chaotically in front of the opponent.

" … it gets pokémon confused in the end," Yan continued.

Koga knew that Koffing was very weakened, but he had one last trick up his sleeve. "In spite of your charizard's disobedience, you have done well so far, Mewtwo. I am impressed with your unusual choice of attacks for these pokémon. However, it is a pity that we have reached a point in our battle where I can call for this last move and win."

Mewtwo started to become concerned. He could sense Koga's increased confidence. The next attack would be too much for Buzz to handle.

"Koffing! Explosion!"

On Koga's order, Koffing's body started to glow bright white as the gasses within it started to stir and mix.

"Oh, boy ..." Yan said. He knew from televised pokémon battles what was about to follow.

Koffing unleashed a powerful explosion. Buzz was sent out of the arena and fell onto the wooden floor that creaked with each bounce of the beedrill's body.

Mewtwo frowned and brought out a poké ball. "You've fought well enough, Buzz. Return."

"You did well too, Mewtwo," Koga said. "You may not have won the battle, but you did win my admiration."

"Thank you," Mewtwo said. "For now, I think we're not ready to earn the soul badge. We will train, and we will become stronger. I might even add some more pokémon to my team before we'll return here for a rematch."

Koga smiled at Mewtwo. "I will be waiting for your return. I wish you good luck and safe travels."

"Thank you once again," Mewtwo said, shaking hands with the gym leader before leaving with Yan.

* * *

Mewtwo took his pokémon to the city's pokémon center to get them healed. Once that was done, he and Yan left the center and stopped to take one last look at the tall but lifeless fir tree.

"Part of me is happy to have participated in a good fight," Mewtwo said, "but the other part of me feels like this tree."

"Don't worry, pal," Yan said. "There's always the rematch. Maybe you can catch a steel type pokémon to help your team win. Steel types are immune to poisoning and poison type attacks. Also, they receive less damage from normal type attacks. Explosion wouldn't be a problem for most of them."

"What steel type pokémon can be found around Kanto?"

"Well, there are some magnemite at the abandoned power plant north of route 10. We could go there next."

"Great! Let's go!"

A pidgey flew in front of Mewtwo and landed at his feet.

"Argh! A pidgey!" he said, jumping away from it.

Yan raised an eyebrow. "Calm down; it's just a messenger pidgey. Probably the same one Professor Oak sent last time."

"Pidgey!" the pokémon said while showing the paper attached to its left leg.

Mewtwo carefully untied the paper from the pidgey's leg and then unfolded it to read the message. "It's from the professor. He's asking me to … train Omy?!"

"Wow!" Yan said. "Omy would be an awesome addition to your team! He is part rock type, so he might be exactly the pokémon you'll need to win against Koga's koffing."

"It seems we'll have to return to Pewter City again. Might as well get Charles out so he could get some exercise. He should be able to fly properly once he loses more weight."

"Good idea."

Mewtwo brought Charles' poké ball out with his right hand and said, "Charles! Get out and start running!"

Charles came out and spread his wings. He let out a puff of smoke and then turned to face his trainer.

"Come on, fatso!" Mewtwo said while poking Charles' belly with his right hand's finger. "If you want to fly, you'll have to lose some of that blubber!"

Charles jumped and flapped his wings, managing to lift off and stay airborne. Then he picked Mewtwo up from behind by holding his arms under Mewtwo's and flew with him over the city.

"Hey! Put me down, I …" Looking at the ground made Mewtwo curl up in fear. "I don't like heights!"

Yan stared at the two pokémon, worrying for them. "Charles, I think you should put Mewtwo down before your wings get too tired!"

Charles refused to listen and continued to fly, although he struggled to stay in the air, dropping and ascending randomly. Mewtwo's weight pulled him down worse than his own did. In the end his wings became so numb that they could no longer flap.

Noticing that they were losing altitude, Mewtwo shouted, "Charles! What are you doing?!"

They both screamed on the way down, and landed through the roof of an abandoned house. Yan ran toward it. "Mewtwo! Charles! Are you guys alright?"

The house's decayed wooden door opened to reveal a scowling Mewtwo who held Charles' tail in his right hand. "You just _had_ to be a wiseguy." He dragged Charles out of the house in spite of the charizard's whining. "You'll be running all the way to Vermilion City for this!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: The Lightning Lieutenant**

The sun seemed to almost touch the ocean in the horizon when Mewtwo, Yan, and Charles arrived at the entrance to Vermilion City. They were tired from running for so long, having only stopped to eat something for a short break three hours prior to arriving at the city.

"We're finally here!" Yan said. "Now we need to find another hotel so we can rest until tomorrow."

Charles let his body fall to the ground. He was happy to be able to lie and catch his breath.

"This place is beautiful," Mewtwo said. "The oranges, the reds, the yellows … It's like the roofs of these houses follow the theme of the sunset."

Yan pointed at a tall, light-blue building that had yellow lightning decorations on its front and the tip of its gray roof. "Yeah, though I have to say, the gym doesn't exactly fit into the theme."

"So, that is Lieutenant Surge's gym."

"He's known as the Lightning Lieutenant and the Lightning American," Yan said. "I've heard he has fought in the latest pokémon war, during which he used electric pokémon to power a plane he flew. Also, he is one _tall_ dude!"

"How tall?"

"Taller than you. Heck, he's taller than Charles!"

"I will challenge him to a gym battle when I'll have a team that has more defense against electric types. Let's go search for a hotel for now."

Just as the trainer pokémon and the youngster were about to leave the area, someone said, "Hey! You're that pokémon that mopped the floor with Team Rocket back in Celadon!"

Mewtwo and Yan turned around and saw the two blond, long-haired guitarists who had been present at the Rocket Game Corner during the fight between Mewtwo and Team Rocket.

"My bro and I thought that was an awesome battle, dude! I hope you liked our guitar cheering."

"Well, it definitely made a fitting atmosphere for what was going on there," Mewtwo said.

"I wish I had been there to witness the ass kicking you've served those Rockets," Yan told him.

The other guitarist twin said, "I see your charmeleon evolved into charizard. Awesome beast, man!"

Charles got back on his feet and started to growl at the guitarists.

The guitarist who spoke last took a step back. "I guess he doesn't like being called a beast."

"He just hates trainers for some reason," Mewtwo said. "I'm still trying to find out why, but he refuses to let me read that part of his mind."

"Let's solve this diplomatically," the other twin said to Mewtwo. "Do you have time for a pokémon battle?"

"I don't know … Charles is probably very tired after running with us for several hours."

Charles started growling and blowing streams of fire toward the sky.

"I guess he wants to battle," Mewtwo said.

"Then we will battle. But first, some introductions. I'm Tayler, and this is my brother Tory."

"I'm Mewtwo."

"And I'm Yan. I'm a pokémon trainer too, although not an official one yet. Since there's four of us, could we do a double battle?"

"We don't usually battle kids, but hey, if you think you got what it takes ..." Tory said and then shrugged.

"How many pokémon do you have on you?" Tayler asked the youngster.

"I only have my raticate."

Tory took a poké ball off a slot on his belt and held it in his right hand. "Then, to make it fair, each of us will use only one pokémon."

"I choose Charles," Mewtwo said. "Although it's more like he chose himself."

"Zaaar!" Charles roared, spreading his wings and using flamethrower toward the sky again.

"Alright, Nutcracker! Go!" Yan said, throwing the poké ball so his raticate could come out.

"Rat!" Nutcracker said. His whiskers were back to their full length, allowing him to maintain his balance again.

Tory threw his ball. "Go, Pikachu!"

Out of the ball came a yellow pokémon with two black-tipped ears, round, red cheeks, a tiny, black nose, a zigzagged tail, and, on its back, two brown stripes. "Pika!"

"I saw two of these pokémon back in Viridian Forest!" Mewtwo said.

"Yeah, that forest's full of them. That's where I caught mine."

Tory's brother threw his ball too. "Go, Elekid!"

Elekid popped out of its ball and materialized on the ground. It was mainly yellow with black stripes over most of its body and a black lightning bolt on its chest. It had a pair of rectangular horns, each with a round hole near its tip. Both of its lower arms were thick, ending in three white claws. The creature had no nose, but had two fangs extending out of its upper lip.

"As the challenger, I'll start," Tory said. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt on the charizard!"

"Pi ka chuuuuu!" the pokémon said as it launched the attack of yellow lightning from its red cheeks.

The attack struck Charles hard, but he did his best to maintain his tough look by spreading his wings and glaring at the pikachu.

"Charles! Dig!" Mewtwo ordered. His pokémon flew toward the sky and then plunged into the ground, digging.

"My turn!" Tayler said. "Elekid! Thunder punch on the raticate!"

"Elekid!" it said as its right fist started to glow yellow. It swung the fist at Nutcracker, who avoided the attack.

"Nutcracker! Hyper beam on the elekid!" Yan ordered.

Nutcracker charged up a red orb in his mouth. He fired the beam at Elekid, knocking it out instantly.

"Whoa, that's a pretty strong raticate you got there, kid! Well done training it!" Tayler said before taking out a poké ball. "Elekid! Return!"

Pikachu was jumping around, trying to avoid Charles' dig attack. When it heard the rumble under the ground, it jumped away from the spot where the charizard burst out.

"Dang, he missed!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Try a flamethrower!"

Charles puffed some smoke out of his nostrils and then stomped the ground with his right foot, causing powerful shock waves. Pikachu fell on its back, weakened by the vibrations. Nutcracker was also slightly harmed by the earthquake.

Mewtwo scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's good too, I guess."

"Pikachu! Use thunderbolt again!" Tory ordered.

Charles endured the attack, but he could barely stand. His tail flame burned bright white as he glared at the pikachu.

"Come on, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Just use your flamethrower! It's your strongest attack, and you can hit more accurately with it."

Charles let out a "Hmpf!" sound and then flew toward his opponent.

"Pikachu! Get out of its way!" Tory ordered.

His pikachu jumped away and started to run around, but Charles eventually caught up with the yellow pokémon and struck it with his long, tough tail. Pikachu fainted.

"Pikachu! Get back here!" Tory said, recalling his pokémon back into its ball. "You've got a pretty strong charizard, Mewtwo. Although he could use a bit more training."

Charles glared daggers at Tory and tried to use his flamethrower on him, but Mewtwo used his telekinesis to keep the flames away from the trainer.

"Charles, return to your poké ball, right now!" Mewtwo ordered and then put Charles into the ball. "I'm sorry about that, Tory. I wish I knew how to get him to open up about his hatred for trainers ..."

The guitarist raised his left eyebrow. "You guys aren't very close, are you?"

His brother scowled at Mewtwo. "Do you happen to have any connection to that charizard that started causing trouble around Kanto? It didn't have stripes like yours, but … this one behaves almost like it."

"I've never met it," Mewtwo said.

"I saw the damn thing in person," Tayler said. "It came here yesterday. Caused a lot of chaos by chasing trainers and aiming its flamethrower at them."

Mewtwo looked at the ground while being deep in thought. "What could have pushed it to become so violent? If I'd meet it, maybe I could get a glimpse into its mind and ..."

Tayler shook his head while closing his eyes. "I don't think it would give you that chance. That thing is one _wild_ beast!"

"Hey, Tay, it's getting late!" Tory said. "We gotta get back home. Concert's tomorrow!"

"Oh, right. See you around, guys!" Tayler told Mewtwo and Yan. Then he looked at his brother. "Last one home's a slowass rock pokémon!" He ran, and Tory gave chase.

Yan allowed his raticate to return to his poké ball. Then he said to Mewtwo, "Well, let's go look for a hotel."

* * *

The genetic pokémon and the youngster got a room at the city's only hotel. It was near the seaside, and had a good view of the beach and the starry sky. Mewtwo enjoyed looking out the window as he lay in his bed next to the wall opposing the window. "I wonder if there is life where those stars are."

Yan, who lay on another bed on the side of the room, asked, "Who taught you about the stars? Actually, who taught you how to speak?"

"I was created knowing some things. I have memories that aren't mine. What if they belong to whatever pokémon I was cloned from? Mister Boulder called it a mew, based on how Dr. Fuji named the clones he made."

"Who knows?" Yan said, resting the back of his head over his crossed arms. "I wonder what you'd be like if you had met those scientists who created you. Would you still be as nice as you are now?"

"I'd like to think that I would still be who I am now, but … circumstances can push people and pokémon to do bad things. If the scientists would have mistreated me, I'd probably end up trying to take over the world or something scary like that."

"Well, I'm glad we don't live in a world where that happened. Good night Mewtwo."

"Good night, Yan."

* * *

As the sun rose, Mewtwo and Yan woke up and went to a restaurant to have breakfast.

"Do you think you could challenge the Cerulean Gym on our way to Pewter City?" Yan asked.

Mewtwo finished chewing the piece of bread he had smeared in fried egg yolk, then he said, "Well, I have Vixie as an electric pokémon, so my team might stand a chance there now. Sure, Charles beat a pikachu, but I wouldn't challenge the Vermilion Gym just yet. He's still disobedient, and Lieutenant Surge probably has way stronger pokémon."

"Yeah, his raichu is known for its brutality. It put several pokémon in the hospital."

"Charles' recklessness would likely make him share the same fate as them. I'll wait until I'll get a ground type."

Hearing this, Charles popped out of his poké ball from the backpack's pocket. He glared at Mewtwo.

"No, Charles! We are _not_ challenging the Vermilion Gym today!" Mewtwo said.

Charles spread his wings menacingly. "Zaar!"

His trainer was not intimidated by this display. "It's too risky with our team's current composition. I need to catch a ground type first."

Charles grabbed Mewtwo by the tube behind his neck and dragged him away from the table while Yan and the other people stared at them.

"Charles! You have no idea what you're getting into!" Mewtwo said, but his pokémon ignored him.

Yan abandoned the last quarter of his breakfast – a bagel with cream cheese – and ran after the two pokémon.

* * *

Charles dragged his trainer all the way into the Vermilion Gym and then proceeded to roar and stomp the ground, hoping to attract the attention of the gym leader.

"What is going on here?" a redhead woman asked. She and the man with short black hair and tanned skin next to her wore camouflage pants and black leather jackets.

"Um … my pokémon wants me to challenge this gym's leader," Mewtwo said after Charles released him.

The man and the woman laughed at him.

Yan arrived and looked at them. "What happened? Why are they laughing?"

"A pokémon wants to challenge the Lightning Lieutenant," the man said. "When Lieutenant Surge heard about a trainer pokémon, he went all paranoid, saying that a new pokémon war might start brewing. If you really want to challenge him, you better be prepared, because he said he will throw everything he has at you. Oh, there he is right now."

"Is that …?" a tall blond man with tanned skin said as he walked down the hallway. He wore a black leather jacket and black pants. "Oh, my God! It _is_ him! The pokémon called Mewtwo!"

"Yes, sir, I am Mewtwo. I am here to challenge you for the badge, but I'm not here to start a war or anything like that."

"W-war?!" Surge said, his body trembling and his stare going blank. "I've been in a war … The horror of seeing so many people and pokémon get burnt, smashed under rocks, or ..."

"Raichu?" a pokémon said as it hugged Surge's leg. The creature looked almost like a pikachu, but its fur was orange, its ears were floppy, mostly black with yellow interior, and each had a straight tip and a curled tip. The pokémon's tail was long, black, with a yellow tip in the shape of a lightning bolt. Its hands had no fingers and were dark brown, just like its three-toed feet. On the creature's belly, there was a round, white patch. It had cheeks just like a pikachu's, but they were yellow.

Surge snapped out of his state of shock. "Huh? Oh, thanks, Raichu. I … just had a flashback about the war. I was so lucky to have met you back then. I never would have survived if it weren't for you." He petted his raichu on the head.

Mewtwo couldn't resist peeking inside the lieutenant's mind. He saw how Surge's squadron lost all of its pilots except for the lieutenant. He saw how Surge lost his arcanine, his ekans, and his vaporeon to the attacks of his enemy's pokémon. The ground was shaking, rocks were thrown around, jets of fire burned everything around them, and Surge hid behind an airplane, shocked by the loss of all of his pokémon. A pikachu came up to the lieutenant and inspected him. Thinking fast, Surge captured the pikachu and then asked it to help him power up the plane. The pikachu agreed, but his electric attacks weren't powerful enough to fully allow the plane to take off. Surge had a thunder stone in his pocket, so he used it on the pikachu, turning him into raichu. In this form, the pokémon was able to not only power up the airplane, but also attack the enemy with thunder. Surge was declared a hero for helping what remained of America's ground troops to push back the enemy and stop the war.

"Why are you challenging gyms? What are you planning to do? Who made you? What is your purpose?"

Bombarded by Surge's questions, Mewtwo didn't know where to start. "Well, I am a trainer and I …"

"Did those people from Cinnabar Island make you for the purpose of starting a new war? Answer me!"

"Sir, they're all dead. They can't start a new war now. Some pokémon called ditto killed them in revenge for being discarded by them. As for me, I've decided to become a pokémon master at first because I thought the legendary pokémon Ho-Oh chose me to become one, but then I realized that I could train pokémon to protect everyone from the crimes of Team Rocket. The pokémon I train will also become stronger, which is exactly what they seem to want too."

"I cannot trust you," Surge said. "Even when your creators are gone, you could be captured by the wrong people. Then those people could use you as a weapon. I've heard that you've been training with Sabrina. That witch knows her stuff. She gave you knowledge that could turn you into a hazard to everyone. I can't imagine the chaos you could bring if you would go mad with power some day. I must capture you for the good of humanity."

"For the good of humanity and pokémon alike you should let me be free so I can take on Team Rocket. They are stealing and injuring trainers' pokémon right now, and you are afraid of what I might do in the future. I am here to challenge you as a trainer, not as a wild pokémon. I have captured myself, just so you know and don't waste poké balls on me."

"You are more of a threat than the average trainer, so I might as well know how you've trained your pokémon. I accept your challenge, but unlike how I treat the beginners' teams, I will use more than one pokémon against your team. How many do you have on you?"

"Three."

"Okay," Surge said, then he looked at his raichu. "My first pokémon is already out. I'm guessing you will start with your charizard."

"Yes. He's the reason I am challenging this gym anyway."

Surge smiled. "It's nice to see someone use a fully evolved pokémon for a change. Most trainers just use unevolved ones and lose pathetically against my raichu. You will have some chances of winning, since I'm sure Raichu can make quick work of your charizard here."

Charles puffed flames through his nostrils, then growled at the lieutenant.

"Raiii!" Raichu said, glaring at the charizard while whipping the air with his tail.

"Let's get to the arena before these two decide to duke it out here," Surge said. "I don't want this place to get messed up; the cleaning lady just finished mopping the floor."

* * *

The battle started, and Lieutenant Surge gave the first order. "Raichu! Hit it with thunder!"

"Rai!" Raichu said, charging up his cheeks.

Realizing that thunder would mean bad news for his charizard, Mewtwo said, "Charles! You need to dig, right now!"

Charles decided that his trainer had a good idea, so he flew toward the top of the arena and then plunged into the ground, digging his way down. The thunder attack missed him.

Raichu raised his ears and stared at the hole that Charles made. "Chu?!"

"You taught your charizard to dig?!" Surge said.

"Actually," Mewtwo said, "he learned it on his own."

Raichu kept looking around, but he could not figure out where Charles was lurking below the ground. In the end he received a surprise hit with the soil of the arena straight to his face. "Raiiii!"

"Raichu! Retaliate with a thunderbolt!" Surge ordered.

Raichu's lightning struck Charles as soon as the charizard flew out of the hole. The attack paralyzed Charles, making him unable to fly.

"Charles! Use flamethrower!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles could not open his mouth, because his jaw muscles were stiffened.

"This is why I love electric attacks," Surge said. "Raichu! Finish him with thunder!"

Raichu charged up his cheeks and then shot the thunder attack at Charles, causing the charizard to faint.

Mewtwo took Charles' ball out. "Charles! Come back!" He swapped it for another ball. "Buzz, it's your turn! Go!"

Buzz came out and was ready to fight.

Surge grinned. "Another fully evolved pokémon. I am pleased with your team composition so far. At last I get a battle that doesn't feel one-sided like the ones against baby pokémon."

"Evolved or not, I think what matters is the pokémon's training, not its evolution stage," Mewtwo said.

"Bullshit," Surge told him while crossing his arms and scowling. "Unevolved pokémon are weak. If my raichu had stayed a pikachu, I never would have powered up my war plane in time, and the enemy would have turned us into ashes."

Mewtwo pointed a finger at the gym leader. "But you didn't take into account Raichu's thoughts on evolving. I've read your mind. You forced him to evolve."

Raichu's ears drooped. He knew that Mewtwo was telling the truth.

"In war you sometimes have to make sacrifices if you want to survive," Surge said.

"You've sacrificed someone else for your own sake," Mewtwo told him. "When he was a pikachu, Raichu saw that you were sad and came to cheer you up. You've captured him without a second thought. After that, you've ordered him to help you. In spite of being angry with you, he did his best to help you escape, even if he wasn't strong enough. Then you've forced him to evolve, to become a better tool for your escape."

"Enough talking! We have a battle to fight here! Order your pokémon to attack or I will take this turn!"

Mewtwo sighed. "Fine. Buzz, sludge bomb!"

Buzz fired the poison blob at Raichu, poisoning him.

Noticing that Raichu was shaking, Surge decided to attempt to end the battle fast, before his pokémon would faint. "Raichu! Use thunder!"

Raichu charged up his cheeks and then used the attack, but the strike missed Buzz, who flew out of the bolt's way.

"It's our turn, Buzz! Raichu's very weak, hit him with outrage!"

Buzz gained the red aura and flew straight for Raichu, attacking him rapidly with his arm needles. In just four jabs, Raichu fainted and was recalled by Surge.

"You've trained your beedrill well. Now, let's move on to my next pokemon. Electabuzz! Go!"

Electabuzz came out of the poké ball that Surge threw. The creature looked similar to the guitarist's elekid in terms of color, being predominantly yellow with black stripes and a black lightning bolt on its chest. Electabuzz's horns looked more like antennae with spherical tips, and the top of its head had a crest formed out of two hairs. Its mouth had a pair of big, white fangs. The creature's hands ended in five fingers without claws. However, its feet had pairs of ivory claws. It also had a long, striped tail.

"Electabuzz! Thunderbolt!" Surge ordered.

Electabuzz put its hands in front of itself and sent its body's electricity through its arms, firing a blast of yellow lightning at Buzz, who crashed after being struck.

"Buzz! Are you alright?"

The beedrill heard his trainer and got back on his feet. "Bzzzz!"

"I'm glad you're still able to stand," Mewtwo said.

Buzz started to sway. He was still confused due to using outrage.

"I don't think he will stand for long," Surge said.

Mewtwo scowled at him and then looked back at his beedrill. He sent a personal telepathic message to him. _"Okay, Buzz, we need to think ahead. Electabuzz seems strong, so we have to weaken it somehow to ensure that Vixie can still do something in case you get knocked out too."_ He remembered how Koga used toxic on Vixie and Charles. _"Try to gather all of your poison inside your stingers and fire it at Electabuzz!"_

Buzz nodded and focused on the opponent.

"Use toxic now, Buzz!" Mewtwo ordered.

Buzz fired two jets out of his arm stingers simultaneously. They hit Electabuzz and covered it in purple goo, which badly poisoned it.

"Looks like that battle with Koga taught you something, Mewtwo," Yan said.

Mewtwo smiled. "It sure did. Let's hope this will give us a chance of winning."

"Interesting strategy you chose," Surge said. "I guess it's time for me to get strategical too, as you've proven to be a worthy opponent."

"Bring everything you've got!" Mewtwo said.

"I like your attitude. Electabuzz! Thunder wave! Let's paralyze it!"

Electabuzz fired thin streams of lightning at Buzz, who ended up unable to flap his wings and landed on the ground, twitching.

"Hang in there, Buzz," Mewtwo said. "The poison is weakening Electabuzz. We need to strike hard and fast. Can you build up another outrage?"

Buzz was starting to regain his balance. He nodded at Mewtwo.

"Then go for it!"

The beedrill glowed red and charged at the electabuzz, striking it with his stingers ten times before getting dizzy again.

"Electabuzz! Use thunderbolt on it and it's done for!" Surge ordered.

Electabuzz did as told, striking Buzz with a bolt of lightning. The beedrill was knocked out and recalled.

"You're on your last pokemon now," Surge said to Mewtwo. "I still have two."

"You have two, but one of them is badly poisoned," Mewtwo said, preparing his next ball. "Probably won't hold out for long against my next one. Go, Vixie!"

"Jolt jolt!" Vixie said, happy to be out again.

Surge smiled. "Yet another fully evolved pokémon. It's an electric type as well. Hmm … I can't use electric attacks against it, because of its ability to absorb them and heal itself. But I can use a normal type attack that every fully evolved pokémon is capable of pulling off. Behold! The power of hyper beam! Show him, Electabuzz!"

"Ele!" the pokémon said before forming a ball of orange light in its mouth.

"Vixie! Watch out!" Mewtwo said.

Vixie kept her eyes on the electabuzz, who fired a beam out of the orb from its mouth. The jolteon used her dance moves to dodge the attack, ending up standing on her left leg while sticking out her tongue at the opponent. "Joltee!"

Electabuzz was glaring at her while the poison continued to tear it down from inside. The hyper beam attack only drained Electabuzz's strength further, and Surge could not order it to attack for a few more seconds.

"Let's knock Electabuzz out, Vixie!" Mewtwo said. "Dig!"

Vixie dug her way under the ground.

"Oh, no ..." Surge said. He knew his electabuzz wasn't the best at dodging attacks. It was far too slow, and the poison made it even more sluggish.

Electabuzz looked at the ground and sidestepped. Its antennae weren't sensitive enough to pick up the sounds made by the jolteon's digging, so Electabuzz had to hop around while trying to avoid the attack from below.

Vixie found the perfect time to strike, bursting from under the ground and throwing mud and dry soil all over Electabuzz. The round was won by Vixie as the lieutenant recalled his second pokémon.

"Good job so far, Mewtwo. We're both down to the last pokémon."

"You are worried that we might win," Mewtwo said.

"Of course I am worried. My last pokémon is also an electric type, and I've made it specialize in electric attacks, which are no good against your jolteon. However ..."

Mewtwo's eyes widened as he realized that Surge had one last trick up his sleeve.

"Go, Electrode!" Surge said as he sent his last pokémon out of its ball.

The creature looked almost like a poké ball with two tiny eyes, two eyebrows, and a mouth, but without the black band and the button. It grinned.

"I have seen one of these before," Mewtwo said. "A Team Rocket grunt used one against me." He remembered the way that electrode exploded while it was hidden under the ground. Checking Surge's mind, he found out that this electrode was capable of doing the same thing.

"I have only one attack that I could use against your jolteon, and I'm not afraid to use it. Electrode, explosion!"

Electrode's body started glowing white as it overcharged itself. "Lectrode!"

Mewtwo had one last chance to avoid this tactic that made his team lose during their last gym battle. "Vixie! Dig!"

Since Vixie was quicker, she managed to dig her way under ground just in time to avoid the explosion attack.

Electrode had knocked itself unconscious and rested in the middle of a crater on the arena.

"It's safe to come back, Vixie!" Mewtwo said. "We won!"

Vixie dug her way back out and then jumped into Mewtwo's arms, licking his face.

Surge took out his poké ball. "Come back, Electrode!" He went up to Mewtwo and gave him a badge that looked like an eight-pointed gold star with a red octagon at its center. "You and your team deserve this thunder badge, Mewtwo. This match has been very entertaining, and you've even managed to make me eat humble pie."

"Uh … I didn't see any pie around here, sir."

Yan chuckled at Mewtwo, then told him, "It's an expression."

"Yes," Surge said. "It means I admit that I was wrong about you. When I first heard of a trainer pokémon, I thought it was all a joke. Then I've heard that you were winning gym fights. I started to think less of those gym leaders who had lost to you. I could not believe that a pokémon could do what only us humans were known to do. I … I apologize for misjudging you."

"You should also apologize to your raichu for forcing him to evolve!" Mewtwo said.

Surge brought out a poké ball. "Very well. Raichu! Come out!"

Raichu materialized sprawled on the ground, his eyes half-closed. "Rai rai rai chu ..."

The lieutenant picked him in his buff arms and said, "Look, buddy, I'm sorry for what I did back then. I was scared. I still am. Those days of the war are going to haunt me for my entire life I guess, but … as long as you're here, my life isn't as unbearable as it could be. Thank you for sticking around even after I've changed you against your will."

"Rai-chu!" Raichu said, smiling at his trainer.

"Raichu forgives you," Mewtwo said, smiling as well while still holding Vixie in his arms.

* * *

With the fifth gym badge in his bag, Mewtwo went with Yan to the pokémon center to heal and feed the exhausted pokémon, and then resumed their journey toward Pewter City.

▶ **To be continued.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Above the Water**

Mewtwo and Yan arrived in Cerulean City after two hours of walking. There were patches of flowers everywhere, and the fresh smell of seawater delighted the travelers' noses.

"This city isn't as busy as Vermilion," Yan said. "It's probably why the air is so clean."

"Indeed," Mewtwo said. "Also, this place is full of trees. They're probably helping with keeping the air that way too."

Most of the houses there had blue roofs. In front of a pokémon center with a yellow domed roof that had a giant red P on it, a round fountain with a water jet in its middle hissed gently as the trainer pokémon and the youngster passed by it. Further ahead, there was the Cerulean Gym, which looked almost like a carousel with pillars painted with blue and white spirals. Those pillars supported a domed roof that had purple and orange stripes. The rim of the dome had cerulean water wave shapes, above which a decoration representing a white pokémon with elegant fins for arms and tail graced the gym's front. Said pokémon also had a short horn coming from the top of its head, and its face had a tiny black nose, wide charcoal eyes, and a pair of fangs coming from under its upper lip.

"It's time for me to challenge this gym," Mewtwo said as he walked toward the building. "Let's hope that Charles will cooperate with me here. Otherwise I'll have to rely on Buzz and Vixie a lot."

* * *

Inside the gym they saw an empty pool and multiple rows of red plastic seats for an audience. A giant purple shell with a gray horn sticking out of it was hanging from the ceiling.

"Is this the arena?" Mewtwo asked.

"No," Yan said. "This is where the Sensational Sisters perform their water ballet shows. The sisters are the three gym leaders here."

"Three?!"

"Yes, but they fight as if they were one leader. This gym is beginner friendly, so at most you get a three versus three pokémon fight."

"That sounds like winning might not be as difficult as I thought. But where are the leaders?"

"Let's go look for them."

They ended up in a corridor that had glass walls. Behind that glass, various creatures swam by. Some of them were pink, some gray, and some shiny blue.

"What pokémon are these?" Mewtwo asked while pointing at the little swimmers.

"Those aren't pokémon," Yan said. "They're fish."

The voice of a teenage girl said, "Yes, they are real fish." She had long, curvy blue hair and a green dress. "Most of them are almost extinct in the wild. The salmon is already gone from the wild, so we're trying to hold on to the ones we have. Maybe some day we could reintroduce them into their natural environment."

"Poor fish …" Mewtwo said. "Why are they going extinct?"

"Some humans don't value nature enough to preserve it," the girl said. "They destroy the habitat of these creatures, and fish them out of the waters to sell them as food. The aquatic pokémon have started to take the fish's place in the environment, but … they are next to fall prey to those humans."

"Those people sound like Team Rocket. Say, are you one of the gym leaders?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Violet. If I'm not mistaken, you must be Mewtwo, the pokémon who has been challenging the gyms around Kanto."

Mewtwo smiled. "That's me!"

"My sisters are going to be so thrilled when they'll see you! They've been wondering if you'll challenge our gym some day. Although … we don't really have many strong pokémon. You'll probably not find them challenging."

"As long as we do our best as trainers, I'm sure our pokemon will enjoy the battle no matter the outcome," Mewtwo said.

Violet looked behind her and shouted, "Hey, girls! Guess who's here to challenge our gym? Hint: his name starts with an M!"

"Are you pulling our leg, sis?" a pink-haired teenage girl in an orange dress said as she walked down the corridor. Then she stopped as her eyes grew wide. "It … It is him! He's really here! Girls, hurry up! Mewtwo's here! In our gym!"

Another teenage girl with long blond hair and red dress arrived running alongside a little girl who had orange hair tied in a ponytail. The little girl wore blue shorts, red sneakers, and a yellow tank top, looking tomboyish. She seemed to be only a little older than Yan.

"These are my sisters," Violet said. She pointed at the pink-haired girl. "She's Lily." Then she pointed at the blonde. "She's Daisy." Looking at the little girl, she added. "And this little runt is Misty."

Misty snapped. "Hey! Who are you calling a runt?"

Violet giggled. "She's so funny, acting all tough. One day, she might take over as the gym leader. But she's got some growing up to do for now."

Misty grumbled something while giving her sister a nasty glare.

"If you wish to battle, we can go to the arena now," Daisy told Mewtwo.

"I'm ready," Mewtwo said. "Let's go!"

* * *

The arena was a large pool full of water on which five platforms floated. The blue platform was on one end, a red one was at the other end, and three yellow ones were between them. Mewtwo stood on the blue platform while the Sensational Sisters stood on the red one.

"We will start with an easy one," Lily said. "Goldeen! I choose you!" She held a poké ball in her right hand, and out came a creature similar to a fish with a horn on its forehead. The pokémon had a fanned, three-lobed tail and was mostly orange on its back and tail root, while its underside was white. It stood on the yellow platform closest to the red one.

"Then I'll choose Vi–" Before Mewtwo could finish what he wanted to say, Charles came out of his backpack and materialized on the yellow platform nearest to the blue one. "Aw, come on, Charles! I wanted to have an advantage over water types!"

Charles stuck up his nose and ignored his trainer. Then he looked at the little opponent he was going to fight. He started to laugh.

"Goldeen?! Goldee goldeen!" the goldeen said, glaring at him and flopping in place.

"Goldeen! Get in the water!" Lily ordered, and her pokémon splashed into the pool right away.

"Okay, Charles, it's time to use your wings to avoid the water!" Mewtwo said.

Charles spread his wings and took off, managing to remain in the air. It was still somewhat difficult for him to keep flapping his wings fast enough to maintain altitude, but he was finally getting the hang of flying.

"Goldeen! Horn attack!"

Lily's pokémon jumped out of the water and aimed its horn at Charles' unguarded belly. It poked the charizard, but didn't do much damage. Charles scratched the spot where he had been hit, and then chuckled at his opponent, who stared at him from the pool's water.

"This seems easy," Mewtwo said. "Charles! Use air cutter!"

Charles raised his eyebrows. "Zar?!"

To enlighten Charles, his trainer added: "Fire wouldn't be very effective against a water type."

The charizard decided to obey the order and flapped his wings, unleashing blue, S-shaped lights toward the pool.

"Goldeen! Dodge!" Lily ordered. Her goldeen obeyed and avoided the attack. "Now let's bring him down! Supersonic!"

Goldeen's horn glowed light blue, unleashing a wave of blue circles at Charles. The attack landed, and Charles became dizzy, flying chaotically above the pool.

"Oh, no!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Be careful!"

Flipping through the air and barely keeping himself from performing a nosedive, Charles growled and unleashed his flamethrower at the pool. He did not stop the stream of fire until he noticed that the water was starting to bubble up.

Goldeen jumped onto the yellow platform in the middle and started flopping on it.

Lily didn't know what order to give her pokemon. To call for a horn attack while the water was still very hot would be risky.

"Goldeen can't escape now!" Mewtwo said. "Are you going to skip your turn, Lily?"

"I … I give up. You'll win if I skip. Goldeen, return."

"That fish needs more training," Violet said. "It's my turn! Go, Shellder!"

The pokémon she sent out had a purple shell with four spikes near the hinge that held its valves together. Its black head was its entire actual body and had two large eyes and a mouth. Its pink tongue kept sticking out.

"Since my sister didn't get her turn, I'm taking this one. Shellder! Hydro pump!"

Shellder opened its mouth and spat a powerful jet of water at Charles, who was unable to dodge it due to still being confused. He plunged into the water, struggled to keep his head at the surface, and then climbed onto the yellow platform closest to the blue one.

"Can you still fight, buddy?" Mewtwo asked.

Charles growled while getting back on his feet.

"Good. Use hyper beam!"

As Charles' mouth opened, an orange orb of light formed in it. When he breathed out, the orb turned into a powerful beam that was aimed at the shellder.

Violet said, "Shellder! Protect!"

Shellder closed itself in its shell and endured the hyper beam while getting thrown into the pool's water.

Violet smirked. "Now that your charizard is taking its time to regain its breath, Shellder and I are free to attack. Shellder! Use water gun!"

Shellder jumped back onto the yellow platform closest to its trainer and then spat a water jet with spirals of foam going around it. It wasn't as powerful as the hydro pump, but was strong enough to knock Charles into the water, causing Mewtwo to recall him.

"Now that Charles is knocked out, I can use the pokemon I intended to use in the first place," Mewtwo said. "Go, Vixie!"

Vixie came out and materialized on the closest yellow platform, her fur shedding sparks. "Jol!"

"That's a strong electric type," Violet said. "I think we don't really stand a chance against that one."

"Well, we can either continue the battle or you can give up now," Mewtwo said, "but I'm here for the badge." He could tell that the gym leaders were worried.

"We will continue the battle. Order your jolteon to attack. Shellder and I will see what we can do."

Mewtwo nodded. "Vixie! Thunderbolt!"

"Shellder! Use protect again!" Violet ordered.

Vixie's fur released many sparks as she charged up the attack. Then she launched the yellow bolt of lightning from her body, striking Shellder and knocking it out instantly because its protect failed.

"One more to go," Vixie's trainer said.

After Violet recalled her shellder, Daisy took her place. She held her poké ball in her hand and said, "Go, Seel!"

Seel was a pokemon similar to the one the decoration on the gym represented; however, it was shorter and plumper, with yellow cheeks around its mouth. Two of its lower fangs stuck out instead of the upper two ones, and its tail was split in half.

"Seel! Ice shard!" Daisy ordered.

Seel opened its mouth and used its powers to solidify the vapor coming out. It then blew shards of ice at Vixie, who wasn't fast enough to avoid them.

"Vixie! Give Seel another thunderbolt!"

Vixie nodded at Mewtwo and then charged up her fur. She attacked, and the seel took the strike, barely hanging on.

"Seel! Use waterfall!" Daisy ordered. Her seel called for the water of the pool to rise and head for Vixie.

The jolteon tried to jump out of the way, going from platform to platform, but the water caught up to her and soaked her thoroughly. In spite of the heavy hit she took, she managed to get back up, panting.

"It's almost over, Vixie," Mewtwo said. "Strike Seel with thunderbolt one last time!"

After shaking to get the water out of her fur, Vixie locked eyes with Seel. She charged up, and then unleashed the thunderbolt, putting an end to the battle.

As Daisy recalled her fainted pokémon, Violet went up to Mewtwo and said, "Congratulations! You have earned the cascade badge!" She passed the blue droplet to him, and he put it in his backpack.

"Thank you for challenging our gym!" Daisy told him.

Lily also came up to Mewtwo. "It was nice to see in person how you battle."

"Will you challenge this gym again when I'll be a gym leader here?" Misty asked. "I promise I'll catch and train super strong water pokémon!"

"Sure," Mewtwo said.

Violet giggled. "She still has a lot of growing up to do until then though."

Misty stuck her tongue out at her.

Mewtwo smiled at the little girl. "Hey, that will give us both enough time to prepare for that day. I'm looking forward to our first match, Misty. Good luck!"

"Thanks," Misty said, smiling back at him.

* * *

With the cascade badge added to his collection, and having healed his pokémon, Mewtwo was about to continue the journey back to Pewter City alongside Yan. But before they could step away from the pokémon center, a loud trumpet sound caught their attention.

The one sounding off the trumpet was a blond, short-haired young man who was dressed in silver armor, with a red cape and a wreath of golden leaves to add to his style. He sat in a golden seat that had two wheels and was pulled by a pair of pokémon. The pokémon were hoofed, four-legged, and each had one horn on its forehead. The creatures' manes were made of fire, although one of them had red flames and the other one had grayish-blue ones.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the famous Mewtwo!" the man said, smiling while keeping his eyes half-closed.

"Uh … hi," Mewtwo said, not knowing what to expect from the guy. He hoped he wasn't about to deal with another one of Team Rocket's members.

"I am from the Hoenn region, and I've heard the news about your accomplishments. I came to see for myself what you are capable of. You may call me Sir Quirinus the Third."

"I hope my pokémon are still up for a battle. They just won against the Sensational Sisters, so they might want to take a rest."

"If you agree to battle, we shall face off at Nugget Bridge in the northern side of Cerulean City," Quirinus said. "One versus one, but each of us will use two pokémon at the same time. Think you can handle that?"

"I'll try."

* * *

The trainers stepped onto the Nugget Bridge, which stretched over a large body of water and looked as if it were made entirely out of gold, with orbs decorating its barriers. There, the trainers prepared to start the battle.

Quirinus took two poké balls off his shiny silver belt. "The pokémon I will be using are my best ones. Go, Latios and Latias!"

Latios was mostly blue with white upper body and long neck. Its face was blue, and its forehead had a white, egg-shaped spot. Its two pointy ears had their tips split in two. The creature had a pair of blue, sharp wings, each wing having two spikes sticking out from near its tip and pointing toward the back. Latios' two blue arms had a white underside and three short, white claws each, but its legs looked more like a pair of spiky tail fins held vertically. On its chest, there was a red triangle.

Latias looked similar to Latios, but instead of being mostly blue, it was mostly red, with the triangle on its chest being blue. The bases of its wings were a bit bumpy, and its fin legs were held horizontally. The white spot on its forehead was pentagonal.

Mewtwo brought out his pokédex to learn more about the pair of pokémon in front of him. The device said, "Latios, the eon pokémon. Its type is dragon and psychic. This intelligent pokémon is capable of reading the minds of any living being. If it senses hostility, it can tuck its arms close to its body and fly faster than a jet plane. It can turn itself invisible at will. Latios is the male counterpart of latias. The two pokémon are considered different species, but they nest together at Alto Mare and can produce latias or latios from the eggs that latias lays." He pointed the pokédex at Latias, and the device said, "Latias, the eon pokémon. Its type is dragon and psychic. It is an intelligent pokémon capable of reading the minds of other living beings. When tucking its arms close to its body, it can fly faster than a jet plane. Latias can turn itself invisible to hide from its enemy. It can breed with its male counterpart, latios, and will lay eggs at Alto Mare. The eggs can hatch into either latias or latios."

Mewtwo gave a sigh of relief. "Sorry. My pokédex tends to spit out a lot of information. Let's get to the fight. I choose … Charles and Buzz! Go!" He used his psychic powers to bring out their poké balls, and the two pokémon came out on the bridge.

"Ah, your shiny beedrill!" Quirinus said, smiling. "I hope I can find one too some day. I like to collect rare pokémon, as you can see. I even have a shiny rapidash." He pointed at the pokémon with the fiery blue mane.

Mewtwo looked at that pokémon and at the other one with the red mane. "Oh, so those are rapidash."

"Yes. Now let's begin the fight. I'll start, since I'm the challenger. Latias! Mist ball on the beedrill!"

Latias ruffled her feathers and fired a ball of mist and down at Buzz, who was fast enough to dodge it.

Mewtwo remembered what he had learned about type advantage while training at the Saffron Gym, so he ordered: "Buzz! Use your bug powers and sting Latias!"

Buzz flew at Latias and stung her. Since she was part psychic type, it hurt her a lot.

"Latios! Luster purge on the charizard!" Quirinus ordered.

Latios opened his mouth, and in it formed a pink ball of energy. When he blew air through the ball, it turned into a powerful purple beam that struck Charles and sent the charizard tumbling.

Angered, Charles got back on his feet and roared at the eon pokémon while slapping the bridge with his tail.

"Charles! Listen up! Latios is resistant to fire attacks. But it is weak to dark attacks, so use crunch!"

Charles' teeth glowed white as he flew at Latios. He bit down hard on Latios' left wing, causing the eon pokémon to scream in pain.

Quirinus said, "Latias! Heal pulse on Latios!"

Latias emitted a pulse of pink light from her body, healing Latios' wounds a bit. Charles still refused to let go of Latios' wing.

Mewtwo took advantage of the situation. "Buzz! Use outrage on Latias! She won't be able to heal Latios anymore if she'll be out of the fight."

Buzz gathered all of his strength, and then flew at Latias while his body glowed red. He stung her repeatedly until she fainted.

"Darn it!" Quirinus said. "Latias! Come back! Latios! Surf!"

Latios folded his arms, then flew toward the sea with Charles still holding on to his wing. He plunged into the water, then jetted through it, ditching Charles in the process. Buzz managed to avoid the wave.

"Charles! Are you okay?" Mewtwo asked.

Charles flew out of the sea and spun in the air to dry himself up. Meanwhile, Buzz was dizzy, and Latios lurked under the waves.

"We need to get Latios above the water so you can attack him," Mewtwo said. "Charles! Do what you did at the Cerulean Gym! Flamethrower!"

Charles smirked at the latios while inhaling. He was _so_ going to boil that blue critter! Then he blew the jet of fire toward the water.

"Interesting strategy," Quirinus said, then closed his eyes and grinned. "However, dragon types are very resistant to heat, so you're only giving Latios the equivalent of a warm bath."

The water began to bubble as the fish zipped away due to not liking the excessive heat. Latios swam gleefully in circles.

"Okay, that was a bad idea," Mewtwo said, rubbing his forehead. "We need to come up with a new plan."

"Yeah, you better! If you can defend against this! Latios! Surf!"

Hearing his trainer's order, Latios swam to the surface and brought a giant wave with him, aiming to land it on Charles. The charizard tried to avoid it, but the wave caught up with him, soaking him up. Buzz was still lucky enough to avoid the wave while flying clumsily.

"Charles! He's out of the water!" Mewtwo said. "Now's your chance! Use hyper beam!"

Charles opened his mouth and formed a multicolored ball of light inside his mouth. Then he blew out a beam that had a head similar to his at its tip.

"That's not hyper beam, that's dragon pulse!" Yan said as he watched from near the Nugget Bridge.

The beam struck Latios, dealing great damage. Still, the eon pokémon remained airborne and awaited orders.

"Latios! Recover!" Quirinus ordered.

Latios's body glowed bright yellow as he healed all of the wounds on it.

"This doesn't seem fair," Mewtwo said.

"Healing moves are fair in a match," Quirinus said. "It's best you learn now how to deal with them."

"Let's see … We could try to deny Latios the chance to heal, but that means we have to be faster while dealing lots of damage. Well, I've got two pokémon here, and you only have one. Buzz! Outrage!"

Buzz snapped out of his confusion and attacked Latios with his needles.

"Latios! Recover!" Quirinus ordered, and Latios healed himself, but not completely. He still had two wounds on his back, between his wings.

Mewtwo grinned as he saw this. _If Latios will keep partially healing, eventually he will either run out of energy or will be unable to heal enough damage before the next strike. Maybe we could force him into the second scenario._ "Charles! Focus all of your fury and use outrage!"

Charles stared into Latios' eyes while his glowed red. An aura of the same color surrounded Charles' body as he flew straight at his opponent. He clawed at Latios and bit him with the power of a dragon, severely wounding the eon pokémon.

Quirinus seemed worried. His latios was cornered, because if he'd order him to heal, the charizard and the beedrill could strike again, dealing enough damage to knock Latios out, and if he'd order him to attack the beedrill to knock it out instead, it wouldn't matter. The charizard would still use outrage and win. "Well, best I can do is go out with a bang. Latios! Surf!"

"Laaa!" Latios yelled as he plunged into the water.

Charles and Buzz gave chase, aiming to strike him. They were splashed by a giant wave caused by surf, resulting in the beedrill fainting.

Mewtwo recalled Buzz and put all of his hopes into Charles, who flew at Latios with a bright white tail flame. After receiving a few more claw strikes and a bite to the right wing, Quirinus' last pokémon fainted and fell into the water.

After both trainers recalled their pokémon, Quirinus held out his right hand and said, "Congratulations! You've trained them well." He shook hands with Mewtwo and brought out his pokédex. "Since I've kept you from your travels, I hope these 3000 poké dollars will compensate for that. Just accept the transfer on your pokédex."

Mewtwo accepted, and so he acquired some more money. It could prove useful later on, so why not?

"I hope you can put them to good use," Quirinus said. "Good luck on your journey to the top of the league! I'll be among the spectators, so don't disappoint me by not showing up!"

Mewtwo smiled at him. "You will not be disappointed, sir!"

* * *

The night was about to fall over Pewter City when Mewtwo and Yan arrived at the museum. Seymour opened the door of the museum's laboratory, and Omy jumped straight at Mewtwo's face, giving him lots of kisses with the tiny mouth hidden underneath his tickling tentacles.

"Looks like you two are going to get along really well!" Seymour said, grinning at Mewtwo.

▶ **To be continued.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Where the Grass Is Greener**

"All rooms are taken?!" Yan said to the receptionist of the Cerulean City hotel.

"We're a small hotel," the receptionist lady said. "We don't usually get so many people who check in, but now that the trainers are preparing for the Indigo League Conference, many trainers have booked rooms here."

Yan frowned. "Aw, man!"

"Now I regret not asking Seymour and Mr. Boulder if we could stay over at their place again for the night," Mewtwo said. Omy stood on his right shoulder, his eyes half-closed.

"And the stores are all closed at this hour," Yan said, "so we can't even buy a tent."

Mewtwo formed a question mark with his tail. "What's a tent?"

"It looks like a small house, but it's made of fabric. It shelters you from rain and slightly cold weather."

"Maybe we could build one out of other materials!" Mewtwo said.

* * *

"I don't think this is going to hold," Yan said, looking at the wannabe tent made out of tree branches and leaves placed near the Nugget Bridge.

Mewtwo sighed. "What a waste of plant life ..."

Omy yawned.

Mewtwo brought out a ball that had a light blue top half with a yellow spiral symbol on it. "Do you want to go into your ball so you could sleep?"

"Ny," Omy said, shaking one of his tentacles left to right.

"Then you'll have to stay up until we find a place to rest."

Omy flattened his body in disappointment. He was tired, but sleeping was impossible while constantly having to hold on to his trainer, who moved almost constantly.

"Hey, Mewtwo, how do you tell which pokémon is in which ball?" Yan asked. "All of your other ones don't even have stickers."

Mewtwo smiled. "I can sense their minds, so that's enough for me."

"Us human trainers could use an ability like yours. Anyway, where are we going to rest now? I'm too tired to walk all the way back to Pewter or go to Saffron."

Mewtwo looked around. To the left of the Nugget Bridge, past a body of water, there was a cave in a mountain. He pointed at the cave. "That looks like a good place where we could rest."

Yan's eyes widened. "The Cerulean Cave?! Are you nuts?!"

"What's wrong with it?" Mewtwo asked.

"It's full of strong pokémon!" Yan said.

"I'm supposed to be the strongest pokémon in the world, remember? And now that I know how to use my powers, I can protect us from pretty much any wild pokémon!"

"Well … okay! Let's … Wait. How are we going to get across the water?"

Mewtwo rubbed his chin. "I could try to lift you with my psychic powers, but I don't think I'm ready to use them on living beings. I'll just call Charles to help carry us over." He dug into the backpack's pocket and brought out Charles' poké ball. "Charles! Go!"

His charizard materialized.

"Charles, carry us to that cave, please!" Mewtwo said.

Grumbling a bit, Charles reluctantly picked up Mewtwo and flew with him to the cave, then brought Yan over as well. After his work was done, he flopped on the ground, panting.

Mewtwo smiled at him. "Good work, Charles! Could you also accompany us inside? Your tail flame could help us see better in there."

"Zar ..." Charles said as if sighing. He got back on his feet and followed his trainer and the youngster into the cave.

* * *

The Cerulean Cave was dark, but Charles' flame produced enough light to reveal half of the first floor. There was a lot of moisture in the air due to a lake being present in there. It was pretty cold, so in order to keep warm, Yan, Mewtwo, and Omy sat around the fire that Charles' tail provided.

Yan pointed at something that hung upside-down from the ceiling, among stalactites. "Look! A zubat!" After checking the surroundings, he added, "There's more of them! You could catch one if you want."

Mewtwo observed the small blue creatures and then said, "I would like to have more pokémon on my team, but I don't think it's a good idea to disturb a colony of zubat while being inside the cave. They'll never let us sleep after that."

Yan frowned. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, you already have Buzz as a poison type, and Charles is a flying type, so you've got those covered. What you really need on your team is a grass type, so you can deal with rock and water pokémon easier."

"Where can I find grass types?"

"They often hide in tall grass, but the best place to look for them is the Viridian Forest. There you can find bulbasaur, which are among the strongest grass pokémon in Kanto. They're given as starters to new trainers in this region by Professor Oak. Since you already have Charles, I don't think he'll give you a bulbasaur though."

"I'm not too keen on going back to Viridian Forest. Not only because of the beedrill that live around there, but because I want to ask for a rematch at the Fuchsia Gym as soon as possible."

Yan leaned with his back against a blue crystal formation and said, "Then prepare to search through the tall grass."

Mewtwo remembered what happened the last time he tried to capture a pokémon in tall grass. _Note to self: never summon Charles in tall grass._ "I'll search tomorrow, starting with the grass near the Nugget Bridge." He yawned and looked at the colony of zubat to his left. "I wonder what decision Mitch took."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up regarding that guy," Yan said. "Team Rocket offers too much money for him to just up and leave their organization."

Mewtwo stared into Charles' tail flame. His hope continued to burn just as strong.

* * *

The bright sunlight shone through the cave's entrance upon the three pokémon and the youngster.

"It's morning already?" Yan asked groggily.

"Well, that big light in the sky seems to be back," Mewtwo said, "so I guess it's morning."

"You mean the sun?"

Mewtwo scratched the back of his head. "I guess so. The name might explain why they call that thing that happens before night a sunset. The sun seems to be like a stronger version of the moon; an evolved form of it."

"They're both celestial bodies," Yan said while sitting on the cave's floor. "That aside, they're as different as night and day. To put it simply, the sun burns and emits light, and the moon is cold and reflects the sun's light. The moon is way smaller than our planet and revolves around it, but the sun is so massive that our planet and several other planets spin around it!"

"Wow! So there are more worlds like ours out there?"

"Not exactly like ours. So far, all of the other planets that revolve around our sun are considered to not be able to sustain life."

Mewtwo's stomach growled. He tapped his belly and said, "Speaking of sustaining life, we should eat breakfast." He searched through his backpack and took out a croissant, which he passed to Yan. "Here's your food."

Charles started to growl and slap the ground with his tail.

"Don't worry, Charles. I've bought you a few pinap berries and a can of ham. Should be enough for breakfast." With that, Mewtwo gave him the food, and Charles ate.

Yan looked at the omanyte shell on the ground. "What about Omy?"

"That's why I bought that canned tuna," Mewtwo said while bringing said can out of his backpack. "Hey, Omy! Look what I got for you!"

The omanyte popped its face out of the shell. "Omy!"

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Yan said, chuckling at the tentacled pokémon.

Omy reached out for the can that was in Mewtwo's hands. "Omnom!"

"Wait!" Mewtwo said. "I have to open it first. Watch this!" He looked at the can while his eyes glowed bright blue, and the lid of the container seemed to roll up by itself, revealing the marinated fish.

Omy's eyes widened. "Oma!"

Mewtwo put the can in front of the omanyte. "There you go!"

"Omnom!" Omy said before digging into the oily fish.

"I'm glad you like it!" Mewtwo said. "Now to bring out the other pokémon. I've got sitrus berries for Vixie, and a jar of honey for Buzz." He summoned the pokémon, and then gave them the food.

Vixie and Buzz looked at him as if to thank him, and then started to eat happily.

Mewtwo smiled at them. "Reading minds once again proved very useful."

* * *

After everyone finished eating, Mewtwo recalled all of his pokémon except Omy, whom he put on his right shoulder, and Charles, who was supposed to fly him, Omy, and Yan over the water. Once Charles fulfilled that job, he was recalled to his poké ball too.

"Now let's go check out the grass near the Nugget Bridge!" Mewtwo said.

They hurried to the place of interest and started searching through the tall blades of grass. Mewtwo could feel the presence of other creatures while Yan could hear them move through the dense vegetation. Eventually something bright yellow caught the attention of the two trainers.

"What is that?" Mewtwo asked, staring at the yellow, slouched form covered in grass about ten steps away from him.

"Could be a drowzee," Yan said, "but it shouldn't normally be here. They live in the east side of Kanto."

There was something familiar about the yellow creature. Mewtwo approached it further and saw more details. "It's … an abra! Just like the one that Sabrina has!"

Yan's eyes widened. "Whoa! Abra live here?! Quick! Catch it! Catch it!"

The abra's body glowed bright white, then it turned into several white lines before fading out of sight.

"Aw, it teleported," Mewtwo said, his ears drooping slightly.

Yan shrugged. "Well, better luck next time, pal."

Searching some more through the tall grass, Mewtwo could feel another presence very close. It certainly wasn't a psychic type pokémon.

The grass shook, and out came a blue creature that could only reach to Mewtwo's knee if counting the green leaves on the creature's head. It had no arms, just a pair of short legs. Its eyes were beady and red, scowling at him. Its mouth was small and tightly closed.

"Well, this little guy seems pretty grumpy," Mewtwo said.

"That's an oddish," Yan told him. "It's a grass and poison type. You better watch out for any spore attacks if it's high level."

"If I could use Charles for this battle, it would be over fast. But I can't risk setting all of this grass ablaze."

Omy waved a tentacle at Mewtwo. "Omy!"

"You want to fight the oddish?" Mewtwo asked him.

"Om! Om!" Omy said while trying to look fierce.

"Uh, Mewtwo, I don't think that would be a good idea," Yan said. "Omy is a rock and water type. He's double weak to grass attacks."

Omy jumped off his trainer's shoulder, landed on the ground, and spread his tentacles out at the oddish. "Omyyyyyy!"

The oddish puffed up its leaves. "Odd!"

"I'll let him have a go at it," Mewtwo said. "He could learn a thing or two about battling, even if he loses. Go, Omy!"

Omy glared at the oddish, who glared back.

Mewtwo realized something. "What attacks does Omy have? I can't figure him out."

"He's a water type," Yan said, "so water gun might be one of his attacks."

"Omy! Use water gun!"

Omy stared blankly after hearing Mewtwo's order. "Om?"

"I guess he can't use that attack," Mewtwo said. "Or maybe he hasn't learned how to use it yet. Omy, try to hit him or …"

Omy looked at the oddish and then jumped at it, wrapping his tentacles around the plantlike pokémon.

"I think that's the constrict attack," Yan said while pointing at Omy. "It makes it harder for the opponent to move."

The oddish cried out its own name and its leaves gained a red glow that extended into an aura around Omy's body.

"Omaaaaaa!" Omy yelled, unwrapping the oddish from his tentacles. Then he fainted just before the wild pokémon fled the scene.

"Oh, no!" Mewtwo said. "What happened to Omy?"

"The oddish absorbed nutrients from Omy's body," Yan told him. "Since he is double weak to grass _and_ he's untrained, the attack knocked him out instantly. Might as well recall him."

"Omy! Return to your poké ball!"

Omy was retrieved by the ball, which was put into the backpack. Mewtwo decided to take him to the pokémon center. Searching the tall grass would have to wait.

* * *

While Omy was being healed at the pokémon center, Mewtwo and Yan sat on some blue chairs, watching the news on a flatscreen TV that was stuck to a wall. The blonde newswoman said, "Breaking news, ladies and gentlemen! Three members of Team Rocket have been spotted negotiating with a pokémon poacher in Vermilion City. Our reporter, Sarrah Constanza, has more information. Sarrah?"

A young, brunette reporter woman was shown near a big truck. "The police captured the poacher, but the Team Rocket agents have made their escape with the poached pokémon in a red Pidgeot 180 vehicle. The poacher claimed he had sold them an Alolan exeggutor. Team Rocket's agents were last seen heading toward Cerulean City, so the police is preparing to stop the vehicle." Behind her there was an Officer Jenny on a motorcycle, and the poacher, who was a skinny guy with a blond mullet and baggy clothes. Next to the officer, two large arcanine police pokémon had collars with cameras around their necks.

"Team Rocket's heading this way?" Mewtwo said. He got up. "I have to stop them!"

Yan stood up too and told him, "No! They've got a car! It would be wiser to let the police handle this!"

"But Yan, what if they escape again? That's one more pokémon that could end up suffering at the hands of Team Rocket!"

Yan frowned. "I know you hate the Rockets. I do too. Thing is, it's a bad idea to stand in the way of a speeding vehicle. Someone could get hurt."

Mewtwo glared at him but said nothing.

"Your pokémon has been fully healed," Nurse Joy told him. "I must say, that is an unusual pokémon. What species is it?"

Mewtwo turned around to take Omy's ball back. "He's an omanyte. Some of Professor Oak's scientist friends recreated Omy from a fossil."

The nurse's eyes were wide open. "Oh, my! They've actually managed to bring back prehistoric pokémon?!"

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes, but while Team Rocket's running around, please keep this information just between us."

"All right, I will."

* * *

Officer Jenny of Cerulean City told her six arcanine to block most of the entrance to the city from the side that led to Saffron City. Three arcanine stood on the left side and three on the right, leaving only a small gap in the middle. The officer stood there, checking each car that passed through.

A green Pidgeot 180 was about to pass through. Inside, there was an old man and an old woman, both gray haired and dressed in drab clothes. The man was the driver. On the woman's lap, there was a meowth curled up and purring.

Officer Jenny stared for half a minute at the vehicle, at the people inside it, and at a photo of a license plate number on her phone. The car model matched the description in all but color and license plate. The people inside were old, and the Team Rocket members were young. The meowth raised her suspicion a bit, but it didn't talk or stand on its hind legs, so she dismissed it as just being a normal meowth. She checked the pokédexes of the old couple and there didn't seem to be anything wrong. "Okay, you can go."

After being in the clear, the old man spoke – in a much younger voice than expected – to the old woman. "She fell for it hook line and sinker!" He was actually James in disguise.

"Good thing our Rocket Hackers did their job," Meowth said, "otherwise she coulda caught us when checking your IDs. Then painting this jalopy would have been wasted money."

The old lady – who was actually Jessie wearing a long, gray wig to cover her hair – looked at a black rucksack on the car's backseat and said, "Now let's get that palm tree to the boss before it breaks out again."

James hit the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop. He pointed forward. "Look who's here!"

Meowth's jaw dropped. "It's Mewtwo and that brat!"

"Let's hope they don't see through our disguises," Jessie said. "Drive slowly and act natural, as if we've got nothing to hide."

Meowth went back to pretending to be asleep and purring while James drove the car past Mewtwo and Yan. The plan seemed to be going smoothly, but then the backpack from the backseat started to shake.

Just before Mewtwo and Yan could finish passing by the green car, a loud smashing sound caught their attention. They looked to their right to see … a tall tree with long, sharp green leaves and three round, yellow heads that only had eyes and mouths, but no noses or ears. The heads seemed pretty happy.

Mewtwo gasped while looking at the creature. "What in the world is that?!"

"Couldn't you wait until we were past them, you stupid plant?" Meowth yelled at the tree while peeking through the car's right window.

"I … think we might have found Team Rocket," Yan said. "And that's an Alolan exeggutor."

"Step on it, James!" Jessie said while pushing James' right shoulder.

He followed her order and made the car speed away.

"Oh no you don't!" Mewtwo said. He used his psychic powers to make three parked cars drive in front of the Rocket Trio's vehicle and block it. "Let's see you get out of this one!"

Jessie threw her disguise away and came out of the vehicle. "Prepare for trouble!"

James removed his disguise too and joined her. "Make it double!"

Meowth jumped out and scratched their faces. "We're the ones in trouble right now, you morons! Do something before they hand us over to the police!"

"Right," James said while bringing out a poké ball from his pants' right pocket. "Go, Weezing!"

Weezing looked like the koffing he had before, but with a smaller head growing out of the left side of the original one, and a third, smaller ball behind them, connected to both heads through strings of flesh. The bigger head still had the white skull and crossbones sign on it, and the smaller head had a white circle. Unlike Koffing, who seemed to be happy no matter what, Weezing seemed constantly sad. Even its cry sounded sad. "Weezing ..."

"What have you done to that koffing?" Mewtwo asked.

"Uh, that's what koffing evolves into," Yan said.

"Wait till you see what Ekans has become!" Jessie told them before she threw her poké ball. "Arbok! Come out!"

Arbok still looked similar to its prior form. It gained a fleshy hood and a black, red, and yellow pattern on its chest, making it seem like it had a second, meaner face there. Arbok retained its purple body color, but its eyes became white with round, black pupils.

"They are both poison types," Mewtwo said. "I'm a psychic type, which means I could easily defeat your pokémon."

"Yeah, yeah, assuming we want to fight you," Meowth said while smirking at him.

"Weezing! Smokescreen!" James ordered.

Within seconds, there was smoke everywhere. The sound of the car engine starting up told Mewtwo that the Rockets were getting away. He wouldn't allow it to happen. With his psychic powers, he lifted the veil of smoke and revealed the car that was driving away at high speed.

"Arbok! Glare!" Jessie ordered to her arbok, who sat atop the car while hanging on to the exeggutor's neck with its tail.

Arbok's eyes glowed blue as Mewtwo stared into them.

"I can't move my muscles!" Mewtwo said, standing in place.

"Glare can paralyze pokémon," Yan told him.

As the car drove away and Arbok was recalled, Meowth was already daydreaming. "The boss will make me his top cat and will feed me the finest food after we bring ol' treeface to him."

"Eggs!" the exeggutor said, wobbling its head above the car.

"No! Not eggs, you stupid plant!" Meowth said. "Think caviar, tuna, slowpoke tail!"

"Eggs!"

Meowth scowled. "Stop ruining my fantasies! No eggs!"

"Eeeeeeegss!"

James looked at the car's left wing mirror. "Huh?!"

"What?" Meowth asked him.

"The tree wasn't kidding!" James said. "Eggs are flying toward us!"

Meowth peeked through the right window and saw about twenty eggs catching up fast to the car. Behind those eggs, Mewtwo was chasing them accompanied by the police's six arcanine. All that Meowth could say at that moment was, "Oh, crap ..."

"Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs!" the exeggutor said. The eggs passed him by and landed on the car's windshield, splattering all over the glass.

James hit the brakes hard, and the car swerved before hitting a parked car. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, but we won't be if the police catches us!" Jessie said. "Tell Weezing to make another smokescreen so we can get out of here!"

"What about the plant?" Meowth asked.

"If it breaks out again, it'll get us caught!" Jessie told him.

When Mewtwo, the six arcanine, and Officer Jenny arrived to capture the three Team Rocket members, they found a cloud of smoke. Mewtwo used his psychic powers to remove the smoke, but then realized that Jessie, James, and Meowth managed to slip away. Fortunately, the poached pokémon was free and still safe. Well, minus the fact that it had a car stuck around its neck.

"I'll ask for a pinsir from the police department so we can get him out," the officer said.

* * *

Half an hour later, the car was cut by the spiky horns of the pinsir bug pokémon that was sent there. The Alolan exeggutor was finally truly free.

"Exeggutooor!" the creature said, dancing in place while wagging its tail, which had a big-lipped green head with two leaves on its top.

After tinkering with the half green, half white poké ball that belonged to the exeggutor and using her special pokédex, Officer Jenny said, "Now that I've set myself as the owner of this exeggutor, I can release him. She held her index finger on the ball's button for thirty seconds, and then pointed it at the exeggutor, connecting the ball's blue beam to it. "Now he's a wild pokémon again. I'll have to arrange for a ship to take him back to Alola."

"Exeeeg!" the exeggutor said as it smacked Mewtwo with its tail. "Eggs!"

"Um, yeah, throwing eggs at Team Rocket was fun," Mewtwo said, grinning sheepishly.

"Guttor exegg egg!"

"Huh?! You're challenging me? But I'm a trainer, not a fighter."

"Eggs!"

Mewtwo scowled. "Yeah, I threw some eggs. So what?"

"Eggs exeggutor egg eggs!"

"You really like eggs, don't you?" Mewtwo asked, raising his right fleshy eyebrow.

The exeggutor smacked him again with its tail.

"I guess you gotta accept his challenge," Yan said.

"Fine, I accept your challenge!" Mewtwo said while pointing at the exeggutor. "But let's find a place where we won't cause much damage."

* * *

The battle would take place above the Nugget Bridge, where there were no cars or houses or people. Officer Jenny was there to supervise the battle.

Mewtwo used his pokédex to learn more about his opponent before getting on the bridge.

"Exeggutor, Alolan form, the coconut pokémon. It is the evolved form of exeggcute in Alola. Its types are: grass and dragon. It is believed that this is exeggutor's true form and can only be obtained when exeggcute is exposed to abundant sunlight. The shorter version of exeggutor found in regions other than Alola requires its psychic type to compensate for its shorter size."

After putting the pokédex back into the backpack with his psychic powers, Mewtwo said, "During my training, I've learned that dragons are weak to three attack types. Ice, fairy, and dragon. I don't know any attack that's of any of those types, so I'll either make do with what I already know, or improvise if I can."

"Hitting the exeggutor with an ice type attack would be the best choice," Yan said. "He's double weak to ice since he is also part grass type. You could use something like ice beam."

Mewtwo sighed. "I wish I knew how to use that."

"Exeeeeeggs!" the exeggutor yelled from the other side of the bridge.

"Okay, okay!" Mewtwo said, walking onto the bridge to face his opponent. "Let's do this!"

"Eggs!"

Mewtwo held his right hand in front of himself, ready to direct his psychic powers.

"I hope you aren't planning on using psychic on the exeggutor," Yan said. "I'm not sure you're ready to use that against living creatures."

"Don't worry," Mewtwo said while looking at the youngster. "I think I've got the hang of it." He looked back at his opponent. "Since you've challenged me, you get to go first."

Without a moment to spare, the exeggutor bowed its head forward and the leaves on its head glowed bright purple. The leaves extended and smacked Mewtwo so hard it sent him flying until he landed on his back at the head of the bridge opposite to the exeggutor.

"I think that was power whip," Yan said.

Mewtwo got back on his feet, the skin on his back feeling quite sore. "You're stronger than you look, exeggutor, but now it's my turn." As his eyes glowed blue, he used psychic to push his opponent toward the other end of the bridge.

"Eeeeeeggsssssssss!" the exeggutor cried out as it was thrown on its back.

"I think this will be easy," Mewtwo said.

The exeggutor got back up and scowled. "Egg." It then stared at Mewtwo and created five egg-shaped objects of cyan light. With one swift bow, it threw the glowing projectiles at Mewtwo. The eggs exploded, sending Mewtwo rolling back to his end of the bridge.

"This guy really likes eggs," Mewtwo said, gritting his teeth due to the pain he felt all over his body.

"Eggs!" the exeggutor said, grinning.

Mewtwo got back on his feet. "Alright, Eggs, it's time I showed you what I'm really capable of!" He raised his right hand and reached out toward the exeggutor while his eyes glowed bright blue. With a swift motion of his hand, he used his psychic powers to pull the opponent off the bridge and into the water. But he did not stop there. To make sure that the exeggutor was really tired at the end of the attack, he lifted him out and spun him in a circle vertically, repeatedly plunging him into the water and taking him out of it.

"Eeeeeeeex eeeeeeeeeeeeggs gutoooooor!"

Mewtwo chuckled. "Do you give up?"

Eggs was doing his best to escape the wild ride that the genetic pokémon put him on, but it was no use. No amount of squirming could release him from the psychic grip.

"I can't hear you!" Mewtwo said.

Eggs refused to answer, hoping that his opponent would eventually need to rest.

Indeed, after spinning the exeggutor a few more times, Mewtwo felt that he was losing his grip on him. He wanted to lift the opponent out of the water and then put him back on the Nugget Bridge, but he miscalculated the throw. The exeggutor ended up being flung all the way into the fountain, which, fortunately, was near the pokémon center, where Mewtwo could get him healed.

* * *

At the center, after Nurse Joy healed Eggs with a potion, the treelike pokémon perked up and went next to Mewtwo. He swung his tail and hit the trainer pokémon with it. "Ex eeeggs!"

"You still want to join me after what happened back there?" Mewtwo asked.

"Eggs egg exegg gutoor!"

"Alright, just … don't challenge me for a while, okay? I still need to refine my control over my powers." With that, Mewtwo used psychic to bring a poké ball to his right hand, and then threw it at the exeggutor, capturing it. "Welcome to the team, Eggs!"

Officer Jenny looked at her phone and said, "I'll have to go check on my arcanine squad. From what I'm seeing from their collar cameras, I think they've found the trail of the Team Rocket agents." She ran outside and hopped on her motorcycle.

* * *

Jessie, James, and Meowth rushed to reach their meowth balloon before the police pokémon would manage to track them down. To their horror, the six arcanine sniffed their tracks and were already gracefully running toward them over the grassy plain.

"Meow! Run faster, you dolts! Otherwise … I'll leave ya behind … as soon as I get in the balloon."

Jessie gave Meowth a death glare for that. "You're not going anywhere … without us!"

"Yeah!" James said. "The boss ... would be furious if … he'll have to bail us out."

Once all three of them reached their balloon and hopped into its basket, still out of breath, Meowth said, "The boss is … already gonna be pissed at us ... for losing the freakin' palm tree!"

Speak of the devil, Jessie received a phone call from Giovanni. As the balloon took off, she answered. "Yes, Boss?"

On her phone's screen, the boss appeared sitting on his chair. He was petting a creature that looked like Meowth but with a red gemstone on its forehead and no bristles near it.

Meowth's jaw dropped. "B-Boss! What is that persian doing there? Have you replaced me as your top cat?"

"I should replace all three of you after what I've heard in the news report," Giovanni said calmly while scowling at his three agents. "However, since Mewtwo was the reason you failed, I will forgive you for this slip up. After all, you're not the kind of agents I'd send after that monster."

"Well, not that I'm not glad to hear that," James said, "but now that Mitch is, um ... gone, who are you going to send?"

Giovanni smirked at the camera. "The most ruthless and cunning elite officer this organization has. Mewtwo barely escaped after being attacked by our former strategist, but this time things will be much more serious." He clenched his right fist. "It and all of its pokémon will be mine."

▶ **To be continued.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Pick Your Poison**

"Nutcracker! Tackle!"

Yan's raticate heard the youngster's order and jumped at Omy, tackling him. Omy was sent flying into a bush, but he came back out, scowling at Nutcracker.

"Omy! Constrict!" Mewtwo ordered while pointing at the raticate.

"Om!" Omy said, jumping at Nutcracker and wrapping his tentacles around him.

Nutcracker managed to escape from the wrap and jumped away before turning around to face the omanyte again. "Ratica!"

"It's our turn," Yan said. "Nutcracker! Fury swipes!"

Nutcracker ran up to Omy and clawed away at him. Omy went into his shell, sealing himself off with a calcified lid.

"Looks like Omy learned withdraw," Yan said.

"What does it do?" Mewtwo asked.

"It reduces damage taken from physical attacks. Special attacks can easily bypass it though."

"I see," Mewtwo said. "Well, let's continue our battle."

Yan nodded to him. "Right." Then he looked at his raticate. "Nutcracker! Do a quick attack!"

Nutcracker arched his back and then sprung at Omy, who was peeking out of his shell with half an eye and a tentacle. The omanyte got smacked on the shell, but there wasn't much force put into the attack, resulting in very little damage.

"Omy! Try to use water gun!" Mewtwo ordered.

Omy scratched his head with his larger right tentacle. "Om?"

"You're part water type, right?" Mewtwo said. "Shouldn't you have water powers?"

"Hey, Omy!" Yan said. "Try to spit out a jet of water. Like this!" He spat at the ground. "Water gun should be something like that, but with more liquid."

Omy took in air and then spat out … only a drop of water.

Yan had a look of disappointment on his face. "That's not enough."

Omy took in air and did his best to spit a jet. Unfortunately, he only managed to create a lot of foam that ended up covering him.

Mewtwo tilted his head to the right while watching Omy. "Is that an attack?"

"I don't think so," Yan told him.

Omy was happily playing in the foam while Nutcracker stared at him, confused.

"There's got to be some other attack he can use ..." Mewtwo said.

"Pokémon need enough experience to learn their native attacks. I think Omy isn't ready for water gun, but there is one attack he might be able to practice and learn right now." With that, Yan picked up a rock and gave it to the omanyte. "Omy, take this rock!"

Omy grabbed the rock with his right large tentacle.

"When Mewtwo says 'Smack down!' I want you to throw it at Nutcracker with all your strength. Got it?"

Omy nodded to Yan.

"Good. Nutcracker? Get ready to dodge the rock!"

Nutcracker nodded to his trainer.

"Smack down!" Mewtwo said.

Omy swung his tentacle and threw the rock at the raticate, but it only traveled halfway and landed on the grass.

Yan closed his eyes and said, "This will take a while ..."

* * *

Later on, Mewtwo, Yan, and Omy were at the pokémon center in Fuchsia City. Mewtwo had marks from two claws on his left cheek and was being treated with a potion by Nurse Joy.

"I hate pidgeys so much ..." Mewtwo said.

"It was just pissed because Omy threw the rock at it," Yan told him. "You didn't have to send the pidgey flying into that tree. We could have just retreated and not dealt with its flock, but no, you just _had_ to show off your powers to it!"

Mewtwo stood there next to Yan, staring at nobody in particular and scowling while whipping the air with his tail.

In an attempt to change the subject, Yan said, "Are we going to continue training Omy, or are you going to ask Koga for the rematch?"

"I will ask for the rematch, just to cross that one off my list. Once I'll get the soul badge, I can pick the next destination."

* * *

At the Fuchsia Gym, Mewtwo and Yan were greeted by Koga and his sister.

"As promised," Mewtwo said, "my pokémon and I have trained to become stronger, and now we have returned."

Koga smiled at him. "That's good to hear. Mine have also become stronger since our last battle. If you are ready for the rematch, follow me."

* * *

Once everyone was inside the arena, Koga said, "We will be using up to four pokémon each, just like last time." He positioned himself on one side of the battlefield.

Mewtwo nodded to Koga and went to the opposite side. He used his psychic powers to bring out his poké ball of choice.

"Are you sure you wanna use Omy in this battle?" Yan asked.

"Yes. Last time, I almost won using three against Koga's four. Now that we know his tricks, I can afford to teach Omy more about battling."

"So who are you going to use aside from him?"

Mewtwo pondered for a second before giving the answer. "I'll pick according to what pokémon my opponent sends out."

"Good strat," Yan said. "Well, do your best, pal!"

"I will."

Koga prepared to summon his first pokémon. Throwing the ball, he said, "Go, Grimer!"

Grimer appeared and oozed all over the ground beneath itself.

"Go, Omy!" Mewtwo said.

"Omany!" Omy said, popping out of his ball. He faced his opponent while showing an intimidating look – or at least an attempt at an intimidating look, because Grimer wasn't the least bit fazed.

"You never cease to surprise me, Mewtwo!" Koga said. "That is a pokémon I've never seen before!"

"It's an omanyte. Professor Oak's scientist friends created him out of a fossil, and I've been entrusted with training Omy."

"Good, good. Let's see it in action!"

Mewtwo scratched the back of his head. "Um … Mister Koga? I think Omy still has a lot to learn about battling. He only knows three moves: constrict, withdraw, and … maybe smack down. So don't expect him to do any spectacular damage."

"Just go ahead and order first," Koga said. "I want to learn more about this prehistoric creature."

"You heard him, Omy! Let's start with constrict!"

Omy wrapped his tentacles around Grimer's body, only to realize that the gooey creature slipped through them with ease. "Oma?!"

Koga grinned. "That's cute. Now, let's show Omy what you can do. Grimer! Gunk shot!"

Grimer belched out a thick stream of sludge, pushing the omanyte away.

"Ugh! The stench!" Yan said while pinching his nose.

Omy was also disgusted by the smell of the gunk, but he shook the purple goo off his body and was back on his tentacles, ready to continue fighting.

"He's lucky he is part rock type," Yan told Mewtwo.

"What is his other type?" Koga asked.

"Water," Mewtwo said. "He doesn't know how to use any water attacks properly yet."

"Practice makes perfect. Tell him to try one; I want to see."

Mewtwo ordered, "Omy! Use water gun!"

Omy went up to Grimer, stared the sludge creature in the eyes, and then spat a short, thin jet at its face. Grimer laughed at the pathetic attempt of an attack.

"At least now it looks more like what water gun is supposed to be," Yan said.

"It's our turn now. I'll use a weaker attack, because I want to see how your omanyte uses smack down. Grimer! Pound!"

Grimer slapped Omy with its sludgy right arm, sending him flying toward the edge of his side of the battlefield. This wasn't enough to knock Omy out, so he got back on his tentacles and awaited further orders from his trainer.

Those orders came. "Omy! Use smack down!"

Omy grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it at Grimer. The rock sank into the purple sludge of Grimer's body, barely dealing any damage.

"As you can see, he isn't strong enough to win a battle," Mewtwo said. "I'll have to recall him before he gets hurt." He brought out the poké ball. Omy! Come back!"

Omy dodged the red beam of the ball, then landed and glared at the opponent. "Om! Om!"

"No, Omy. You can't."

Omy ignored Mewtwo and crawled closer to Grimer, still glaring.

"Omy!" Mewtwo shouted.

Omy looked at him and said, "Omy?"

Mewtwo walked up to him and petted the omanyte's shell. "Listen. I know you want to continue fighting, but I don't want you to get knocked out on the first round. You did well so far. Come back."

Omy frowned, but allowed Mewtwo to recall him. Vixie was sent in his place, her yellow fur crackling with electricity as she ran gracefully over the battlefield.

"Ah, I see you've brought your jolteon again," Koga said. "Show me how much it has improved!"

Mewtwo smirked. "I will."

"Grimer! Toxic!"

Grimer heard Koga's order and spat out the jet of toxic sludge, but Vixie jumped away and landed on her right leg, successfully dodging the attack.

"Vixie! Thunderbolt!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie charged up her fur and launched a golden lightning bolt at her opponent. It wasn't enough to knock it out, but it dealt enough damage. It was clear that Grimer wasn't going to stand for long.

"Grimer! Use toxic again!" Koga ordered.

Grimer spat the sludge and managed to land it on Vixie, badly poisoning her.

"Hang on, Vixie!" Mewtwo said. "Just one last strike and you can come back and get some rest. Use thunder, now!"

"Jol!" she said as she channeled the attack through her fur and then launched the powerful bolt of lightning at Grimer, frying the purple sludge so hard that it partially dried up. Koga had to recall his pokémon after that hit.

Mewtwo grinned at his jolteon. "Yes! We did it!"

Koga threw the next ball. "Go, Koffing!"

Koffing appeared, looking as happy as any other koffing.

"Koffing! Tackle!"

On his master's order, Koffing launched itself at Vixie and smacked her with its body, knocking her out.

"Vixie, come back!" Mewtwo said as he brought out her ball with his psychic power. After putting it back, he prepared to take out the next ball. "My next pokémon is ..."

A red light came out of the backpack's right pocket and then materialized on the battlefield.

"Eggs!" the pokémon said.

Mewtwo face-palmed. "No, Eggs ..."

"Exegg gutor!"

Mewtwo scowled at him. "I wanted to pick Buzz!"

The exeggutor ignored him and stared with much glee at Koffing, whose facial expression mirrored his.

Feeling defeated, Mewtwo said, "Alright, you can take this one."

"Is that an exeggutor from the tropics?" Koga asked.

"Well, my pokédex said this pokémon comes from the Alola region, so it's definitely not native to Kanto."

Koga looked at the coconut tree creature that towered in front of him. "They really do grow tall when exposed to plenty of sunlight! Oh, anyway, let us get back to our battle. Koffing! Sludge bomb!"

"Koffing!" the purple sac of gasses cried out as it spat a brown ball of sludge at Eggs.

Eggs scrunched up the faces of all three of its top heads as he felt soreness on his barky skin. "Gutor!"

"Hang in there, Eggs!" Mewtwo said. _Let's see … What could Eggs use against a pure poison type? I feel he still has a weak psychic power within him. What if …_ "Eggs! Use confusion!"

The tree pokémon immediately understood the order. The eyes of its heads started glowing bright blue, and a similar aura appeared around Koffing's body. Within seconds, Koffing was smacked against the ground several times, leaving the purple pokémon disoriented.

Koga scratched his chin. "So, Alolan exeggutor still retains some of the psychic traits from its pre-evolution."

Koffing had trouble staying in the air, levitating chaotically above the battlefield.

"Koffing! Use toxic!" Koga ordered, but his pokémon was unable to execute the attack properly and just smashed face first into the ground, a purple liquid oozing from its mouth. "Oh, damn it! He's still confused!"

"This is our chance!" Mewtwo said. "Eggs! Use confusion again!"

"Eggs!" his pokémon replied, obeying orders.

Koffing was struck with the confusion and continued to struggle with levitating.

"Hmm, Koffing has very little strength left," Koga said. "I'll have to resort to the same move like last time, so that I can take down another one of your pokémon. Koffing! Explosion!"

Mewtwo knew this wasn't going to end well for Eggs, but he still had the ability to choose one more pokémon that was well-rested.

After Koffing exploded and fainted, Eggs collapsed as well. Both trainers recalled their pokémon and sent out their next ones.

Koga threw the ball first. "Golbat! Go!"

Mewtwo followed. "Charles! I choose you!"

Golbat and Charles materialized and faced each other.

"Your charizard ..." Koga said. "I hope you have trained it better."

"Well, I did my best, so I hope he'll listen this time. Charles! Flamethrower!"

Charles heard Mewtwo's order and blew a fire jet at Golbat, managing to fry it a little.

"So far, so good," Mewtwo said.

It was Koga's turn. "Golbat! Poison fang!"

Golbat's fangs began to glow bright purple just before it bit Charles' right arm. Charles was quick enough to slap Golbat off before the poison went into his flesh.

"Charles! Aerial ace!" Mewtwo ordered.

His charizard flew at Golbat while white streaks were generated around his body, and then he flapped his wings at the opponent, causing it to tumble away through the air.

"Good work, Charles!" his trainer said as the charizard landed back on the ground.

Koga gave the next order. "Golbat! Use toxic!"

Charles could not avoid the attack, so he ended up badly poisoned. Nausea was already setting in.

Mewtwo frowned. _Charles is the last pokémon I can use. Well, Omy's still awake, but … the little guy doesn't stand a chance here. This is it. Either we win or we don't get this badge; it's all up to Charles._ "Use fire blast, Charles!"

His pokémon spat out the fire blast, but Golbat dodged the attack.

"Golbat! Supersonic!" Koga ordered.

His Golbat emitted ultrasounds in an attempt to confuse its opponent, but Charles did not get affected due to plugging his ears with his claws. The poison made Charles' muscles twitch. It was clear he didn't have much time until he'd faint.

Mewtwo pondered for a few seconds what his next order would be, and in the end he decided that the best course of action would be to gamble by using the highest possible attack. "Charles! Use overheat!"

Charles' body turned red as fire stirred inside him. He spread his wings and took off, flying straight for his opponent.

Koga realized his pokemon was in big trouble. "Golbat! Stay out of his way and use sludge bomb!"

Golbat did all it could to fly out of Charles' reach, but in the end Charles blasted it with his powerful jet of fire and knocked it out, winning the round.

After recalling Golbat, Koga said, "I have just one last pokémon." He brought out its ball from his pants' right pocket. "This is a very tight match. Let the final round commence! Go, Venonat!"

"Veno nat!" the fuzzy purple creature said as it materialized on the battlefield.

Charles landed heavily on the ground, raising the dust from around his feet. "Rrrrr!" His tail flame burned bright white – the telltale sign that he was close to fainting.

"Give the order, Mewtwo!" Koga said.

Mewtwo looked at his charizard. "Overheat lowered Charles' firepower, but he could still use his physical strength. Charles! Wing attack!"

Charles' wings gained a bright white glow after he took off. The light trailed behind them as he flew toward Venonat.

Koga knew he was very likely to lose, but he still clung to the hope that his pokémon could dodge the hit. "Venonat! Jump out of Charles' way and use sleep powder!"

Charles' wing narrowly missed Venonat, only managing to cut a bit of fuzz off the creature. He landed and could barely hold his balance. The poison was giving him a fever. Fortunately for him, Venonat's sleep powder had been blown away by the current he caused while flapping his wings.

"Charles! I've got an idea!" Mewtwo said.

His pokémon looked at him while panting. The poison was causing some nasty joint pains to his body.

"Fly high and then land onto Venonat!"

Charles was barely able to stand, but he really wanted to win. He wanted revenge for being poisoned by Koga's pokémon during his first visit there. Spreading his wings, he leaped off the ground and flew toward the ceiling. He locked his sight onto the venonat and then allowed his body to fall.

"Venonat! Jump and use sleep powder again!" Koga ordered.

Charles planned ahead and flapped his wings once as soon as Venonat jumped. This allowed him to alter his fall just enough to ensure he'd land exactly where he wanted to. He came down like a hammer, nearly crushing his opponent under his weight. The attack caused Venonat to faint, but Charles also fainted due to the poison tiring him out.

"I guess it's a tie," Koga said.

"Not so fast!" Mewtwo told him. "Charles! Come back!" After Charles returned to the ball in Mewtwo's right hand, his trainer telekinetically brought out the blue ball with the spiral on it. "Go, Omy!"

Omy materialized on the battlefield, eager to fight again.

Koga's jaw dropped. "Oh. I … forgot that he didn't faint."

Omy looked around and saw the sleeping venonat on the ground. "Om yyy ..." he said, frowning.

Koga grinned, although halfheartedly. "You've won, 4 to 3."

His sister brought him a scroll of paper and passed it to him.

He opened the scroll and presented to Mewtwo something pink on it that looked like a heart symbol with a line cutting it in half vertically. "You and your team have earned this soul badge. That was an impressive display of not just strength, but skill as well."

Omy was fuming in the background.

Mewtwo took his prize. "Thank you, Mister Koga. My pokémon and I will continue to train and improve. Once we get to the Indigo Plateau, we'll do our best to make you proud of us!"

"I will be there for sure. I want to see how far all of my challengers can get. Oh, and one last thing … Would you be willing to trade that exeggutor for my venonat?"

Mewtwo tilted his head to he right. "Trade? Um, no, sorry. He joined my team to train under my guidance, so I can't just send him away like that."

Koga smiled at him. "Very well then. I wish you and your pokémon safe travels and good luck."

* * *

At the Fuchsia pokémon center, Mewtwo's team got healed, and then fed at a table there, along with Yan's raticate. Omy was sitting on top of the table, still grumpy while munching on a blue fruit.

"You'll get your chance to win a battle on your own eventually, buddy," Mewtwo said to Omy while sitting on a chair near the table. "But you'll have to practice and perfect your attacks first."

Omy didn't even look at him, continuing to scowl while eating.

Yan was sitting on another chair next to Mewtwo, talking on his mobile phone. "Yeah, mom. I bought myself a backpack and an inflatable tent. Oh, no need to bake stuff for me, I've bought my own food and Mewtwo shares his food with me. Yep. How's dad? Uhuh. Did he manage to tame the dragonite? Nice! Maybe when I come home he can let me ride on her back while she flies!"

Mewtwo went to check the map on the wall next to Nurse Joy's counter. He had seven badges and only needed one more to qualify for the Indigo League competitions. There were three more places that he could go to in hopes of a badge: Lavender Town, Cinnabar Island, and Viridian City.

Yan finished talking to his mom and put his phone into his shorts' right pocket, then he went up to Mewtwo. "Where do ya wanna go to next?"

"I think Lavender Town would be the easiest to reach from here."

Yan stared at him with wide eyes. "Lavender Town? Dude, not only that it doesn't have a gym, but that place is haunted! It has such a depressing atmosphere with that tower full of pokémon graves … Even its anthem makes me sick to my stomach!"

Mewtwo raised his left fleshy eyebrow. "What are pokémon graves?"

"Places where people put the bodies of their dead pokémon," Yan said before hugging his dear raticate. "I-it's kind of unsettling to think of having to bury your own in one of those places. I don't want to be reminded about what will inevitably happen one day, when Nutcracker gets old. Can we please choose another destination?"

Mewtwo looked back to the map. "Well … we could return to Viridian City and see if its gym leader returned. But then there's … my birthplace."

"Yeah, Cinnabar Island has a gym," Yan said. "It's owned by Blaine, the fire pokémon trainer."

"Maybe I should go back there and show you around too. What do you say?"

Yan looked at the map and saw how much water separated the island from the rest of Kanto. "I say we need to buy ferryboat tickets."

▶ **To be continued.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Lord Helix**

"We are here with Duplica, our first trainer that specializes in ditto," a brunette reporter lady said before pointing her microphone at Duplica. "Can you tell us a bit about this new pokémon?"

"Of course," Duplica said while holding her ditto in her arms and having another one on her left shoulder. "They can take the form of any other pokémon and can even turn into objects. The one I have on my shoulder cannot replicate the size of anything larger than itself though."

"Where did they come from?"

"Well, I spoke to Mewtwo recently and he found out that the ditto were created in the same laboratory where he was made, on Cinnabar Island. The scientists there didn't treat them well and … they revolted. But I swear I will gather all of the ditto I can find and tame them! I will become the world's first ditto master!"

"We wish you good luck, Duplica!" the reporter said. "This was Helen Jade for pokéTV."

"Thank you, Helen," the blonde news lady said, sitting at her desk in the studio. "Speaking of Mewtwo, we have finally managed to catch up with the famous trainer pokémon, and we have an interview with him right now thanks to our reporter, Ben King. Ben, you are live."

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen! We are here in Vermilion City where Mewtwo and his human companion Yan are about to set off toward their next adventure via ferryboat," Ben said. He pointed the microphone at the trainer pokémon. "Mewtwo, where is your destination this time?"

"I am returning to my birthplace. Cinnabar Island. I've heard there is a gym there. Naturally, I want to challenge it."

"So, you will be fighting Blaine and his fire pokémon. For most trainers, the Cinnabar Gym is among the most difficult in Kanto to take on, but we know you have quite a lot of victories under your belt, so you'll probably have an easier time than most."

"My pokémon and I will continue to train along the way," Mewtwo said, "but we won't let our guard down once we get to battle Blaine."

The ship's horn sounded off.

"Yo! Mewtwo! We gotta go before the ship leaves without us!" Yan said while waving his arms frantically.

Mewtwo nodded to him. "Right." He looked back at the reporter. "Sorry, we have to cut the discussion short because we have a ferryboat to catch."

"Good luck, Mewtwo!" Ben said. His transmission was cut abruptly just before it could end.

The news lady said, "Breaking news! There is a vicious pokémon alert in Lavender Town! The situation is so dangerous that only pokéTV managed to take any footage of the attack by sending in a drone."

The drone's view showed a charizard that roared as it flew through the sky, sporting a constant death glare that the drone could see once it zoomed in on the creature's face. The pokémon blew fire at a car and melted it just after a young woman and man came out of it. The two humans took shelter inside a convenience store that ended up being attacked by the charizard's flamethrower twice, fortunately not causing much damage to it. The destruction and chaos ended when the charizard saw something glitter in the sky and went to chase it, leaving the town.

"Oh, my!" Professor Oak said, putting his cup of tea on the plate he held in his left hand. He sat in his favorite leather armchair while watching the 5 o' clock news in horror. "That charizard continues to terrorize Kanto. It must be captured before it kills someone."

Willow, his asistant, stood on an armchair to the left of the professor. He had also been having tea before the breaking news hit the screen. "If it were a Venusaur, I would have tried to calm it down. But a charizard? Too many variables. It's too dangerous."

Oak continued to stare at the screen as the charizard flew toward the horizon. "Let's hope the police will deal with it. This has been going on long enough."

* * *

Mewtwo and Yan made it on the ferryboat and found the room they were assigned: 102. There, they leaned their backpacks against a wall and sat on the edges of their beds.

"Why aren't there any ships going directly to Cinnabar Island?" Mewtwo asked.

Yan said, "The currents are too strong in the eastern side of it, so we'll have to go to the Seafoam Islands to rent a lapras that will take us to Cinnabar."

"What's a lapras?"

"It's a pokémon. They're trained to carry people on their backs, and they are known to make it safely to destination even when the sea is churning."

"It will be interesting to meet them. Oh, it's time to get dinner for ourselves and the pokémon."

"Right," Yan said. "We'll have to go to the dining area though. The sign on the door said not to bring food here."

* * *

Giovanni held the phone to his right ear and spoke into it. "The news just revealed Mewtwo's whereabouts. He's on a ferryboat heading toward the Seafoam Islands. Go keep an eye on him. I'll send backup when everyone's ready. Make sure to have him cornered when the squad gets there."

"You can count on me!" a youthful female voice said through the phone.

"I sure hope so," he said before hanging up.

* * *

"Omy! Use water gun!" Mewtwo ordered.

Omy spat a thin jet of water that hit the geodude of a teenage guy. It wasn't enough to knock it out, but it made the geodude soggy and weaker. The battle was taking place on the deck of the ferryboat.

"Geodude! Use earthquake!" the teenager ordered. His geodude slammed its body into the ship's deck, causing vibrations that went into Omy's body, hurting him.

"Hang on, Omy!" Mewtwo said. "Hit him with water gun again!"

The omanyte gathered his sprawled tentacles and then faced his opponent again. His body was in a bit of pain, but he could still stand. This was his chance to prove to Mewtwo that he could win. He took in a deep breath, and then spat out another jet from his mouth, hitting the geodude between its eyes. It fainted.

"Great work, Omy!" Mewtwo said, picking him up.

Omy had a look of pride on his face. He stared down at his fainted opponent as it was recalled. "Om! Om!"

"Omy's first victory!" Yan said, then grinned at the omanyte.

"That pokémon is rad, man!" the teenager said. "Here, have some berries. Maybe he'll like them." He gave Mewtwo four yellow fruit.

Mewtwo gave one to Omy, who quickly devoured it.

"Well, thanks for the battle, poké trainer dude! I'm off to get Geodude healed."

"It's been nice battling your team, Rey!" Mewtwo said as the teenager left.

Yan saw something in the sky. A red, triangular object that flew toward the ship. A human was under it. "Is that a glider?" As it came closer, he could see that the person was a blonde teenage girl dressed entirely in pink and wearing a pink hat that had a white front. She landed on the deck as her glider shrank into her lilac backpack. "Why would she go gliding while on a ferryboat trip? Hmm, maybe she's trying to hitch a free ride."

"Yan, look!" Mewtwo said while pointing at a creature that was mostly black with an orange underside. It was similar to a houndoom, but instead of horns it had floppy ears, and its tail didn't have an arrow shape at its tip. An old man who had a fluffy mustache and was dressed formally stood next to the creature. "What pokémon is that?"

Yan's eyes widened. "That's not a pokémon! It's a dog!" He went closer to see the creature and then looked at its master. "Nice dobermann, sir!"

"Thank you!" the man said with glee. But then he sighed. "I wish I could meet more dog owners. Most people are now getting pokémon pets instead of dogs. This breed has become so rare ... Only a few breeders are left to keep it from extinction."

Yan petted the dog on its head. It seemed to enjoy it based on the heavy breathing noise it was making while sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail. "Well, pokémon make amazing pets due to their powers, but … I can understand why someone would prefer a dog. They are smart enough to help out with everyday stuff, and they're not as dangerous as pokémon if not trained well."

Mewtwo stared at the dobermann before him. Its mind was different from that of humans and pokémon. He could not understand its thoughts – they did not seem coherent – but he could sense its happiness. "Take good care of Ruffler, sir. It is one of the most interesting creatures I've ever seen."

"How did you ..." the old man said, but then he realized something. "Oh, I forgot. You have telepathy. Ha ha! I've heard about you from the news. Well, of course I will take care of him. He's been my buddy for ten years so far."

The dog wagged its tail and barked, as if to confirm his master's words.

As Mewtwo and Yan continued their discussion with the man, the ferryboat traveled on.

* * *

The sun was on its way to setting, and the ship arrived at its destination: the Western Seafoam Island.

Mewtwo stepped onto the sand and let his feet sink into it. "The ground here feels so good!"

"This is a beach, so no wonder the sand is so fine," Yan told him.

Omy, who was sitting on Mewtwo's left shoulder, looked at the many seashells that were all over the beach. He jumped off and went to take a closer look at them, as they were similar to his own shell, but much smaller and spikier.

"What are those things?" Mewtwo asked.

Yan picked a shell up and showed it to him. "Sea snail shells. My mom told me that they would sometimes wash up ashore, still alive, and she'd put them back into the sea. That was thirty years ago. No one has seen any live ones for over twenty years now. I guess they went extinct."

Mewtwo sighed. "Much like Omy's species."

"Maybe one day those scientist guys will be able to revive animals too," Yan said, juggling the seashell. "It would be nice to see what a Tyrannosaurus Rex really looked like."

"Lord Helix!" a teenage boy said while running toward Omy.

"What?" Mewtwo and Yan said at the same time while looking at the guy.

The teenager dropped on his knees in front of the omanyte, his red and white cap dropping on the sand that he put his hands on. "Hail Lord Helix!" He had dark brown hair, brown eyes, a red jacket with white lines along the zipper, blue jeans, and white sneakers with red accents.

Mewtwo formed a question mark with his tail. "What's going on here?"

"It's true! He finally returned!" the teenager said while Omy touched his hair with a tentacle.

"Who? Omy?" Mewtwo asked.

"Dude, it's just a pokémon!" Yan said while crossing his arms. "Sure, it's been resurrected from a fossil, but it's still a pokémon, not some … lord."

The teenager raised his head and scowled at him. "He is not _just_ a pokémon! Have you no idea about the Return of Lord Helix?"

Yan scowled back. "We're not from around here! We haven't heard of your weird legends!"

After getting back on his feet, the teenager said, "Well, let me educate you. The ancient scripture says that there will be a great battle on this island. That is when the reincarnated Lord shall summon the power of the ancients and put an end to the battle, sacrificing himself once again, until his next resurrection."

Omy seemed confused. "Om?"

"I think you got the wrong omanyte," Yan said.

The teenager picked up his cap and put it back on his head. "There is no other omanyte. His power extends even to the Helix Fossils. I have one of those fossils; I pray to it every night, and I have won all of my battles. I have no doubt that the legend is true." He pointed at Omy. "This _is_ Lord Helix himself, back from the dead!"

Yan looked at Mewtwo. "I think we should get going. This guy seems a little bit … off his rocker."

"Red!" a semi-bald old man with a big belly and long, white beard said. He was dressed in orange attire with palm tree prints, fitting for a tropical island. "What is all the commotion about?" He stopped in his tracks the moment he saw the blue pokémon with yellow shell. "Oh, my!" After running up to Omy, he also knelt and began to praise the omanyte. "Oh, Lord Helix! What can we mere mortals do for you?"

"Omyyy ..." Omy said, looking worried. He decided to slowly go into his shell. Those people were acting too strange for him.

The old man looked at the shell. "Are you saying … that we are not worthy of your presence, my Lord?"

"No!" Mewtwo said, stomping the said with his right foot. "Omy never asked to be worshiped! He is a pokémon who, just like me, is trying to make sense of this world after being created by some human scientists. He isn't your Lord, he's just a kid!"

The old man got up and rubbed the sand off his palms. "Even if you do not believe in the ancient legend, would you stick around with us for tonight? We want to celebrate this event with a grand feast."

"Well ..." Mewtwo said while looking at Yan.

"No, no!" Yan whispered.

"Come on, Yan, we're staying here for tonight anyway. Why not join them if we get free food?"

"I don't trust these people. They are fanatics."

"I have read their minds. They seem genuinely happy that Omy's here. And they really _do_ have a feast planned!"

After thinking for a bit, Yan finally gave in. "Alright. Free food does sound nice too."

"We'll join you at the feast," Mewtwo said to the two strangers.

"Thank you," the old man said. "By the way, you can call me Tamar."

Mewtwo smiled at him. "Thank you for inviting us, mister Tamar!"

* * *

As the night settled over the Western Seafoam Island, Mewtwo and Yan were at a round, wooden table, in open air, with Red and Tamar. There were all kinds of fruit, some yellow, some orange, some purple, and a few red ones. Omy was at the center of the table, tasting the food. The rest of Mewtwo's pokémon, along with Yan's raticate, were also taking some fruit from the table and eating. Next to them, Red's pokémon ate as well. He had a charizard, a pikachu, a venusaur, a blastoise, a lapras, and a snorlax.

"Hey, Red, could you and your lapras help us get to Cinnabar Island?" Yan asked.

"Sure. It would be an honor to help Lord Helix and the famous trainer pokémon. Lapras loves to travel through difficult waters. Right, Lapras?"

"Praaas!" said the long-necked, blue pokémon with curled ears on its head and a hard, bumpy, gray shell on its back. The creature had thick flippers that weren't suited for walking on ground, but were powerful enough to face the most turbulent of waters.

"Hey, Mewtwo?" Red said.

"Yes?"

"You know, before I came here to praise Lord Helix at the local shrine and take some time off from being a trainer, I used to be the champion of the Indigo League. I was only 11 years old when I became champion. I prayed to the Helix Fossil since I was 10, and it worked!"

"Wait … You're _that_ Red?" Yan said, staring wide eyed. "The champion Red who used to mop the floor with Team Rocket's grunts six years ago?"

"Yeah. I've heard that they're back. I might have to go out there and chase them again soon."

"I'm also looking for any sign of Team Rocket," Mewtwo said. "The next time they'll show up, I'll literally give them a piece of my mind! Anyway, what was it like when you reached the Indigo Plateau?"

"If you're serious about going there," Red said, "you must know that the path toward that place is long and full of obstacles. It's called Victory Road. There, ace trainers will be fighting their way to the Indigo Plateau. Many run out of supplies and are forced to head back to the pokémon center of Viridian City. The League rules state that you must arrive at the Plateau with at least one pokémon still capable of fighting, otherwise you are disqualified. It's their way of weeding out the less skilled, since more and more trainers are aiming for becoming champions with each passing year."

Mewtwo squinted his eyes. "What happens once some of those trainers manage to reach the Indigo Plateau?"

"Another selection. They get to battle the Elite Four – League trainers who specialize in training pokémon of certain types. And after a trainer defeats the Elite Four, he or she has to fight the champion. The champion can be dethroned several times until either there is no challenger left or the competition ends. All of this happens within a single day, so you better stock up on supplies to be prepared, and you better make sure you get to the League Reception Gate as early as possible."

"I'll be prepared," Mewtwo said.

Yan decided to start a new conversation, this time with the old man. "Hey, mister Tamar, could you tell me more about the legend of Lord Helix?"

"Sure, my boy. You see, long ago, our ancestors lived on this island alongside a few omanyte like the one you've brought here. One day, the legendary bird of ice, Articuno, declared war on our ancestors. It wanted to claim their land. But one of the omanyte stood up in front of the ice titan. It used the power of the ancients, banishing the bird of ice into the cave you see in that mountain. The battle exhausted Lord Helix, and seemed to have led to his death and petrifaction. But three days later, the Lord came out of his rocky tomb. With the power of the stars, he became an omastar and blessed the people with rain before leaving into the ocean with his fellow omanyte, going to slumber for many years until he would reincarnate."

Yan raised his left eyebrow. "Are you sure there weren't any scientists reviving these from fossils back then?"

"We are talking about people who hadn't even invented the poké ball at that time. Thousands of years ago."

"Strange. But what if Lord Helix just … made a cocoon or something?"

"No, the scripture says he died for sure, then turned into stone, then came back to life."

Yan shrugged. "Okay then."

* * *

It was getting late, so Yan and Mewtwo chose to set up Yan's blue inflatable tent on the beach. Once they got inside and took Omy with them too, they zipped the tent's clear tarpaulin door, shutting themselves in. They could see the outside through the door's material, and they observed the Milky Way galaxy that seemed to have sliced the dark blue sky in half with its clump of stars.

"It seems pretty comfortable," Yan said. "And all three of us fit in here. This is perfect!"

"Yeah, you did well by buying this tent," Mewtwo told him.

Yan took a flashlight out of his backpack. "I'll be right back. I need to pee."

* * *

A few minutes later, Yan had finished answering the call of nature by adding to the ocean, and then was on his way back to the tent. At that moment, he heard someone's hurried footsteps, so he turned to his right to see what was happening.

* * *

Mewtwo was watching Omy sleep, still waiting for Yan to return. Then he heard the youngster scream his name. Mewtwo got out of the tent to see what was happening and froze when he saw Yan surrounded by twelve black flowers. Next to Yan and the flowers, there was that same teenage girl with swirly blond hair whom they had seen while they were on the ferryboat.

The girl pointed at Mewtwo and said through her smirk, "Come along peacefully, or the kid becomes a bonfire."

Five Team Rocket grunts arrived to back her up, poké balls at the ready.

▶ **To be continued.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: The Black Tulip**

Mewtwo looked at Yan and then back at the girl. He could sense that she had some tricks up her sleeve, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find any clues about them inside her mind. _It's almost as if … not even she knows the full details about the trap.  
_  
"Take your poké ball and remove the capture block from yourself," the girl told him.

"I will never let myself fall into your hands, Team Rocket!" Mewtwo said, his eyes glowing bright blue.

The girl smirked. "Before you use your telekinesis on us, know this: if I snap my fingers, those tulips will explode." She put her right hand's thumb and middle finger together.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed even brighter. The girl knew that was her cue. She snapped her fingers, the clicking sound echoing all over the beach.

Blue sparks scattered from the tulips as they were in the process of exploding. Suddenly, they were surrounded by a blue aura and kept under crushing pressure from all sides. It rendered the tulips harmless as black smoke came out of them.

Yan pushed some of the flowers away and ran up to Mewtwo. "Thanks, pal!"

"Go, Gengar!" one of the grunts said before his pokémon came out. The creature looked like a purple, spiky clefairy with big red eyes and a mischievous grin.

"Go, Honchkrow!" another grunt said as his winged nightmare came out of its ball. It had a yellow beak, mostly blue feathers, a fluffy white mane, and a red tail to match its wing undersides. The feathers on its head looked like what Mewtwo recognized as a hat.

Another member of Team Rocket summoned his pokemon. "Go, Houndoom!"

The other two grunts were about to summon theirs as well. "Go, Umbreon!" one said, followed by another. "Go, Weavile!" The first pokémon looked like a sleek, maneless, red-eyed, black version of eevee with yellow circles on its limbs, tail, ears, and forehead. The other one reminded Mewtwo of Meowth a little, but it was pale gray, with red crown, droopy ears, collar, and two short, feather-shaped tails. On its forehead, it had a golden, oval stone with three black hairs coming out of its top.

Mewtwo kept Yan behind him and whipped the air with his tail. He didn't like knowing that Team Rocket felt safe before him. _Something is wrong here. Very wrong._ The sound of rotor blades cutting through the air caught his attention. To his right, there was a flying vehicle made of metal, held airborne by a pair of rotors on its sides. To his left, there was another one.

"The reinforcements are here! Awesome!" the girl said, smiling while holding her right fist up. "I knew Giovanni would send them in the nick of time!"

Mewtwo squinted at her. "Who is this Giovanni?"

She grinned at him. "Oh, he'll be your future master. You'll meet him soon enough." With her right hand, she brought another black tulip out of her backpack and raised it high above her head.

The rocket grunts from the flying vehicles used guns to launch two nets at Mewtwo. The rims of the nets had pitch-black balls of metal that emanated an eerie force he could sense. Before he knew it, he was wrapped up in the trap, feeling his energy get drained.

Yan reached out for him. "Mewtwo!"

Gengar faded in between them and blocked Yan's way while grinning at him. "Gen gen gengar!"

"It's part poison type," Yan said. "You can hurt Gengar with psychic attacks, Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo's eyes were glowing bright blue, yet nothing else was happening. _I'm trying, but this net is absorbing my attacks!_ He had to find a way out of the trap, but the more he struggled, the worse he got entangled. The damn ropes weren't breaking either, in spite of him using all of his physical strength in an attempt to tear them with his hands.

"What are you waiting for?" Yan asked, noticing that the gengar was still fine.

 _It's not letting me use my powers!_

Yan tried to get a better look at Mewtwo by looking to the side of the ghost pokémon. "Come on! Use psychic on Gengar!"

His friend kept trying to tear the net with his hands, to no avail. He looked at the youngster. _Yan! Go get help!_

Yan stood there, confused. "What did they do to you?"

Mewtwo heard what the grunts were ordering their pokémon to do, so he pointed toward him. _Yan! Run before they block you!_

Team Rocket's honchkrow flew behind Yan and spread its wings out. The umbreon approached the youngster from the right, and the weavile came from the left.

"You're not going anywhere, kid!" the girl said. "Mewtwo can't save you either. The net is equipped with dark energy that nullifies his powers."

Yan looked around, hoping to find an opportunity to escape, but Team Rocket's pokémon didn't allow him any openings.

She smirked at him while playing with the tulip between her fingers. "I'm sure your parents will pay us a ransom in exchange for you."

"You dirty bastards!" Yan said, glaring daggers at her.

A loud roar distracted Team Rocket and their pokémon, making them all look at the sky.

Mewtwo recognized the large winged figure with a burning flame at the tip of its tail. _Oh, no! I hope it's not that mad charizard … Maybe it's Charles._

When the creature flew closer, it was clear that it wasn't Charles, but it was a normal charizard. It flew straight for Yan while the pokémon around him scurried away.

Mewtwo's jaw dropped when he saw the charizard grab Yan and fly away with him. _No! Yan! If it weren't for this stupid net …_

"Venusaur! Blastoise! Go!" A familiar voice. It gave Mewtwo hope.

The giant, turquoise venusaur with its pink, white-spotted flower and green leaf blades materialized next to the net that held Mewtwo. The blastoise materialized near Team Rocket's pokémon and aimed its cannons at them.

"Venusaur! Cut the net with razor leaf!" The one giving the order was Red. His venusaur threw two of its giant leaves at the net, cutting it in the areas that weren't too close to Mewtwo.

"Thanks, Red!" Mewtwo said, smiling as he removed the remains of the trap off himself.

"I'll handle Team Rocket. You take Yan go call the police!"

Yan was next to Red's charizard, safe and sound. The charizard flew back to its trainer, ready to assist.

Red brought out three more poké balls. "Pikachu! Lapras! Snorlax! Join the battle!"

"Help us out here, Domino!" one of the grunts said. "It's six of them against only five of our pokémon!"

The girl looked at her flower. "I only have one tulip left. Let's see who gets it." She looked at the pokémon that Red had summoned. "I'm taking out his blastoise." The tulip was thrown, and the blastoise was shocked by it, fainting.

"Blastoise! Come back!" Red said, holding its ball out until the pokémon was retrieved.

"We've also brought some pokémon," a grunt said from inside one of the flying vehicles. "Go, Electabuzz! Go, Gloom!"

The grunt from the other vehicle said, "Go, Machamp! Go, Onix!"

Tamar arrived riding a blue, serpentine creature that had a yellow underside and white, crownlike protrusions on its back. "Let's help out, Gyarados!"

Mewtwo and Yan tried to escape, but the onix blocked their way with its rocky body. It curled around them, blocking their view. This forced Mewtwo to use his psychic powers to repel the giant pokémon's body. Neither he nor the onix were making any progress once their forces ended up canceling each other.

Red had trouble coordinating all five of his remaining pokémon. It was a total chaos once the battle broke out on the beach. Team Rocket had the upper hand, with five grunts controlling one pokémon each and two other grunts controlling two at a time.

Red's charizard made quick work of Team Rocket's gloom with its flamethrower. Electabuzz took out Red's charizard and lapras after several strong thunderbolts and a thunder to deliver the final blow. Red's pikachu obtained a victory using its own thunder on Honchkrow. Tamar's gyarados defeated Team Rocket's houndoom with a powerful hydro pump and a dragon rage beam fired from its mouth.

Domino brought out her phone. "Boss? We might need more backup. These grunts are failing us."

"Onix! Get rid of that pikachu!" a grunt ordered. "Use earthquake!"

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Domino asked. "You're letting Mewtwo get away!"

Umbreon and Weavile blocked Mewtwo and Yan's path.

"We're taking care of these two," another grunt said.

After Onix defeated Red's pikachu with earthquake, Electabuzz was knocked out by Red's venusaur, who used earthquake as well. Red's blue, bulky snorlax managed to avoid taking too much damage from the two ground-based attacks. It was ready to avenge its fallen teammates.

"Snorlax! Use superpower on the onix!" Red ordered.

His snorlax gained a blue aura around its body. The creature then proceeded to punch Onix's head, sending the rocky pokémon flying into the ocean. Onix was recalled by its trainer.

"Machamp! Remove that snorlax with your own superpower!" a grunt ordered.

Mewtwo remembered that time when Charles faced a machoke. The machamp before him was even larger and had four muscular arms. He realized how much brute force the creature had when it punched into Snorlax's bouncing belly and made the giant give out a loud burp. The attack knocked Snorlax out almost instantly, forcing Red to recall it.

"It's all up to you, Venusaur!" Red said.

"Gyarados will help out!" Tamar told him.

"Gengar! Use thunder on the gyarados!" a grunt ordered.

Tamar saw his gyarados get knocked out in one hit – the only hit it took in the entire battle. Water-flying was a poor type combination against such a strong electric attack.

The gengar's owner said, "Use hypnosis on the venusaur!"

Gengar successfully put Venusaur to sleep. Machamp joined in, prepared to deliver punches freely to the sleeping pokémon.

"I will not allow this to continue!" Mewtwo said, his eyes aglow. He used such a powerful psychic attack that both Gengar and Machamp were knocked out before they knew what hit them. He turned to the side to look at Domino. "Now it's your turn!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Domino asked.

Mewtwo's eyes widened. There were no allies capable of fighting on the battlefield, and behind him there were two dark type pokémon that were immune to his psychic attacks. Worse yet, he was weak to their attacks, and he had his back turned to them. He scolded himself internally, and then paid for his mistake by being knocked to the ground by Weavile's dark pulse. "It hurts … so much …"

Venusaur woke up. Red took the opportunity and ordered, "Venusaur! Petal dance!"

Sparkling pink large petals flew at the weavile and umbreon, causing the two pokémon to fall on their backs. Still, the attack wasn't enough.

"Weavile! Blizzard!" the grunt ordered.

Weavile whipped up a snowstorm so strong that Venusaur felt the cold pierce through its flesh immediately. The plant on Venusaur's back was wilting.

Umbreon's owner ordered it to use psychic on Venusaur. The attack knocked out Red's last pokémon. That was it. No more allies. Mewtwo had to think of something, fast. Something other than how much his body hurt.

"Let's break Mewtwo's spirit," Domino said, smirking. "After all, he is a pokémon too, and you know how easily they surrender once defeated."

"I'll handle him!" a grunt near her said. "Weavile! Use dark pulse on Mewtwo!"

Weavile prepared its hands to launch the dark pulse, but before it could form a steady orb between its palms, something hard hit it on the head. "Weav?!" it asked, rubbing the sore spot while turning around to see who attacked it.

There stood Omy, taking an offensive stance with its tentacles spread out and giving the weavile a nasty look. "Om! Om!"

Domino had to do a double take. "What the …?"

Mewtwo turned his head to see what was going on. "Omy! No! Get out of here!"

"Omaaaa!"

"No!" Mewtwo said, trying and failing to get up. "They're too dangerous!"

The owner of the weavile looked at Omy and said, "It might be a rock type. Let's crack that shell with some cold!"

Domino put her hand in front of the grunt. "Wait! That is an omanyte. It should be part water type too. Use a fighting move, knock it out, and then we can capture it. The boss will be happy to have it in his collection."

"Alright. Weavile! Use brick break on the little guy!"

Weavile's right hand began to glow bright white as it prepared to hit Omy.

"Dodge it, Omy!" Mewtwo ordered.

Omy listened and jumped out of the way. Then he spat out a proper water gun straight to Weavile's face.

"You did great, Omy!" Mewtwo said, smiling. He almost had enough strength to get up. If Omy could keep Weavile and Umbreon distracted for long enough, Mewtwo and Yan could attempt to run back to the tent and grab their pokémon. Maybe they could even call the police.

Omy grabbed another rock and flung it at Umbreon. Seeing this, Umbreon's owner took the opportunity and ordered, "Umbreon! Foul play!"

Umbreon saw the rock heading towards it. Jumping into the air, the dark evolution of eevee proved just how sneaky it could be, in spirit of its type. It kicked the rock with its left hind leg and sent it back at Omy.

The omanyte did not expect his attack to be deflected, so he didn't have time to get out of the way. The rock hit him in the face. It hurt him, but it also made him furious. He decided that it was safer to resort to water gun, since he managed to land the hits most of the time. This gave the weavile and the umbreon a hard time dodging the attacks.

Two more flying vehicles arrived, and from each a grunt released a honchkrow. They ordered one of the pokémon to use superpower on the omanyte and another to use dark pulse on Mewtwo.

"There's too many of them," Yan said.

Tamar and Red approached him. The old man said, "If Omy figures out how to use the fabled power of the ancients, he could get rid of most of the enemies."

"He's not your god!" Yan told him. "He barely learned how to use water gun and you expect him to use something that may not even exist!"

A honchkrow swooped down on Omy and hit him hard with its legs. Once Omy was on the ground, the winged creature landed and put its right foot over him, its claws grasping the shell.

The other honchkrow used dark pulse on Mewtwo, making him lose the small amount of strength he had regained. Yan blocked its view of his friend and said, "I'm not moving. If you want to attack him again, you'll have to get through me first."

Domino chuckled. "Kid, do you think Team Rocket doesn't have cases of manslaughter under its belt?"

Yan felt a drop of sweat slide down his forehead. The honchkrow gliding above gave him a piercing stare – a warning that if he won't move out of the way, it would not hesitate to execute him.

"Yan, please don't get yourself hurt!" Mewtwo said. "Your parents will hate me forever if anything bad happens to you! Even I won't be able to forgive myself!"

Yan shook his head to deny that request. "You're my friend. Friends defend each other."

Mewtwo pushed his upper body up by pressing his hands onto the sand. "That is why … I cannot allow you to get hurt." He used psychic to push Yan away from him.

"Mewtwo is vulnerable again," Domino said. "Knock him out!"

The grunt from the flying vehicle gave her a nod. "Right away, miss Domino! Honchkrow! Dark pulse on Mewtwo!"

Tamar shouted, "Omy! Summon the power of the ancients! The rock that you are made of has it! You just need to channel it through your tentacles!"

Omy looked at his tentacles. The left side of his face was pressed onto the sand due to the honchkrow putting most of its weight on the foot above him. Could he really summon such power of legend? He looked at his trainer and saw him get hit with another dark pulse. Mewtwo was still conscious, but one more hit like that would probably be the end of him. Omy couldn't take it anymore. He had to focus. Focus. Focus!

The honchkrow kept pressing its foot onto the omanyte. It knew something strange was happening when the little critter gained a pale white aura around his body.

Yan ran back to Mewtwo's side. "Why did you do that? Now you're so weak that they can just drag you away!"

Mewtwo smiled at him. "At least they won't have to harm you to get to me." That only got him a nasty look from Yan.

The grunt from one of the flying vehicles dropped a red bag next to Domino. "The boss told me to bring you these."

She checked what was inside the bag. "Ah, yes. More tulips. Thanks!" She grabbed one of the flowers and then took a side glance toward Mewtwo. "This will help keep things under control." A sudden explosion sound caught her off guard. "Huh?!" She looked at a honchkrow that was sent flying by a giant ball of white light and small rocks. "Just what the hell is going on there?"

Omy glared at her while his body was still surrounded by the white aura. "Omanyy!" he growled.

Domino's eyes were wide open. "That little pest did that?"

Omy felt an increase in his energy, as if it was only the beginning of what he could do. It was time for him to get rid of the other honchkrow – the one that hurt his trainer. Once the new giant orb of light and gray rocks formed in front of him, Omy launched it with full force, knocking out the honchkrow. Then he decided it was Weavile's turn. Now feeling even stronger than before, he used the ancient power once more, making Weavile eat sand as it was blown away by the attack.

"Wow! I never thought I'd see Omy show such power!" Yan said.

"You see? The legend is true!" Tamar said. Red was next to him, hands on the sand while bowing his head to the ground.

Omy was raising his side tentacles above his head, as if they were fists. "Om! Om!" He was challenging the umbreon that stood before him.

"That thing is targeting your umbreon," Domino said to the grunt. "Tell it to deflect the attack!"

"I'm sorry, miss Domino, but that is a special attack. I don't think Umbreon can make much use of it."

She prepared her black tulip and looked at the omanyte. "I guess it's time to take matters into my own hands."

Mewtwo regained a bit of strength, just enough to turn his head and get a better view of Omy. He was proud of the little guy, but also worried. He sensed Domino's thoughts and realized she was about to tilt the scales in Team Rocket's favor again.

Domino walked to the side and advanced toward the place where Omy and Umbreon were battling. She pointed the sharp end of the tulip stem at the omanyte. "Do it! I dare you!"

Omy formed the orb of white light between his two main tentacles and then launched it at Umbreon. The attack gained its trademark rock shards and continued its journey toward its target. But it would never hit it, because Domino's black tulip was thrown into its center and exploded, canceling the ancient power.

Four more tulips were thrown in front of Omy. He stared at them, confused. How could those little things destroy the attack he had used to mop the floor with the much larger pokémon he had defeated?

"Omy! Stay away from them!" Mewtwo said. Seeing that Omy didn't want to flee from the tulips, he made use of his psychic power to lift his own body off the ground. He was back on his feet, but it took him a few seconds to stabilize himself. His power also aided him in running toward Omy, although his skin was still sore from the attacks he had endured.

The omanyte called upon ancient power again, but this time he was aiming for Domino.

"No, you don't!" she said, snapping her fingers. This triggered the tulips' explosion, sending Omy flying toward some tall rocks near the seashore.

Mewtwo jumped while his body started glowing bright white. "Omy!" He teleported while he was in mid air, and appeared close to Omy. So close he could almost touch him with the tips of his fingers. Unfortunately, he could not grab his pokémon in time, and Omy crashed hard into the solid rocks, a loud crack reaching Mewtwo's ears.

"Omy!" Yan yelled while putting his hands on his hatless head.

The omanyte's eyes were closed. Mewtwo cradled Omy's limp body and severely cracked shell. He gave Domino the nastiest stare he could form. "Wh-what have you done?"

"That thing was wrecking our assets," she said. "It would have been great to steal it, but you are the main pokémon we were sent here for. I only have orders to retrieve _you_ alive; anything else would be a bonus."

Gently putting Omy on the sand, Mewtwo stared back at Domino while his eyes gained their bright blue glow. She threw two tulips at him, but they were snapped like twigs the moment they were halfway to their target. Her entire bag of tulips blew up next to her while a whirlwind started, stirring the sand all over the beach.

Umbreon put its hands on its head and quivered, flattening itself on the ground and curling its tail around its body. Even the flying vehicles had trouble staying airborne in the strong winds.

Mewtwo whipped the air with his tail while clenching his fists. His entire body was emitting a bright blue aura. "You people from Team Rocket have caused enough pain and destruction to both humans and pokémon alike. The time for your comeuppance has come."

Domino gritted her teeth as she witnessed Mewtwo prepare an attack she did not expect from him. A pitch-black ball of energy surrounded by thin blue lightning bolts had formed between the genetic pokémon's hands. "Shadow ball ..." she said.

Mewtwo put all of his hatred towards Team Rocket in his attack. He felt its power as it coursed through his veins and was fed into the orb sustained by his hands. The shadow ball was thrown at Domino, knocking her to the ground. The force of the attack was so strong that she was dragged for five seconds over the grainy sand, leaving her with lots of scrapes on her limbs and face to add to the pain that she felt on her torso.

Yan put his hands up and waved his arms frantically. "Hey! Whoa there, Mewtwo! You're gonna–"

Mewtwo fired another shadow ball, this time at one of the flying vehicles. The attack hit its target, causing it to crash onto the beach. The grunts inside groaned. He continued his attack, bringing the rest of the vehicles down.

No humans had died so far, but Yan wasn't going to stand there and watch as his friend was becoming more and more vicious. "Mewtwo! Enough! You don't have to kill them!"

Mewtwo glared at him. "They didn't have to kill Omy. Yet they did." He fired another shadow ball at Domino. She barely managed to push herself out of its way while taking in a mouth full of sand due to the explosion near her.

In spite of the powerful wind, Yan made his way to Mewtwo and grabbed him by the right arm. "Please, stop! I … I know you're furious, but … I don't want you to get in trouble with the police. I don't want you to be seen as the monster Team Rocket wanted you to be. Please, Mewtwo. We can just get 'em thrown in jail. They're not going anywhere now."

Mewtwo looked at the youngster and then at the wounded Team Rocket members. "They don't deserve the gift of life they were given. They have taken away freedom and lives. Why should I let them live?"

Yan looked at him, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Because … th-they were just doing their job. Who knows what made them join Team Rocket? Maybe they might reform after they'll spend some time in jail. They could be taught a lesson and maybe they'll find fair jobs. People can change, Mewtwo."

The trainer pokémon looked at him, scowling while slowly moving his tail. "Have it your way, Yan. I will let the police take them from here."

Seven islanders had been standing on the side and watching the events unfold for some time after hearing the commotion. Some of them had already called the police, and as a result a helicopter was sent toward the Western Seafoam Island. It was closing in with its red and blue lights flickering, its rotor's noise announcing its presence.

Yan was looking at Omy, who was still on the sand. He touched the omanyte's tentacles and noticed something. "It twitched! Omy's tentacle twitched!"

Mewtwo, who had been sitting nearby with his eyes closed, opened them and then looked in the youngster's direction. "Are you sure?" He got up and went to check.

"I'm almost sure," Yan said, trying his best not to tear up. "I don't know. Maybe it was just … my imagination. Maybe it's because I want him back. He was such a cute little guy ..."

Mewtwo kept trying to contact Omy's mind, but there was no response. "If only I had been faster ..." He touched the tentacles with his right hand and gently ran it down the limp, pale blue extensions of the omanyte's body.

"You did your best. Sometimes we can't stop bad things from happening, and we have to accept that."

Mewtwo squinted at his friend. "Yan, I was supposed to take care of him. What am I going to tell Professor Oak? What am I going to tell the scientists?"

Yan remained silent, not even looking Mewtwo in the eyes. He could only stare at Omy, at the cracked shell that exposed the pokémon's insides. His face lightened up the moment he saw that there was some movement among the cracks. "He's breathing!"

"Come on, Yan, stop giving me false hopes!"

Yan pointed at what he saw. "I mean it! Look in that crack! That must be his lung!"

Mewtwo took a closer look. It was true, something was moving in there. It was slow, barely noticeable, but it was possibly a sign of life. "Stay here with him! I'll go get my backpack." He teleported away and then reappeared back within mere seconds while holding the backpack in his arms.

"That was fast," Yan said.

After taking out two large potions, Mewtwo applied them over Omy's cracks and a bit on the tentacles. In response, Omy shook a little and let out a squeak, then continued to sleep.

Yan frowned. "I think he needs a doctor. The damages are still really bad."

"There is no pokémon center on this island," Mewtwo said.

"Maybe the police helicopter can take us to one."

Mewtwo clenched his right fist. "Damn it! We don't have time! I'll … I'll try to teleport Omy with me to a center." He put his backpack on and picked Omy up in his arms.

"Wait! You aren't leaving me here, are you?" Yan said while reaching out for his friend with both of his hands. "I want to go with you!"

"Yan, I don't want you to get hurt too. Seeing Omy like this is enough. Please go home." With that, Mewtwo teleported himself and Omy away.

▶ **To be continued.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Catharsis**

Omy lay on a stretcher as it was pushed by two chansey toward the emergency room of the pokémon center. Nurse Joy looked in his direction, worried for the little creature.

"Is there any hope for him?" Mewtwo asked her.

She turned toward him and sprayed a potion onto his wounds. "Our surgeon will do his best to save him. I cannot promise anything. Your pokémon's in a very difficult situation."

"I see ..."

"How did he end up like this?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Team Rocket. They just won't stop. To think humans can be so destructive ..."

The nurse frowned. "I hope you know we're not all like that."

"I know, Nurse Joy, I know. But every time I thought Team Rocket can't do worse stuff, they just come back and prove me wrong."

PokéTV news ran on the TV that was on a wall in the room. The reporter lady said, "We are here on the Western Seafoam Island with former Pokémon League champion Red while the police are arresting a group of Team Rocket members led by the infamous Black Tulip."

Mewtwo turned around to see the screen the moment he heard that. Behind him, a yellow pokémon he couldn't bother to see the details of also stared at the screen.

The reporter continued. "Red, can you tell us what exactly happened here?"

"Team Rocket caused a ruckus while trying to capture Mewtwo," Red said. "They hurt a lot of pokémon before Mewtwo managed to defeat the Rockets. The locals called the police and, well, now they're picking up the thugs as you can see."

Yan butted in. "Miss, can I say something too, please?"

"Sure, young man. Just remember: no foul language, okay?"

Yan put his hands in his shorts' pockets and stared at the ground while kicking the sand. "I'm sorry about swearing earlier. I was just mad." He looked at the reporter again. "Anyway, this is what I want to say." Then he scowled at the camera. "Mewtwo, if you're watching this, I want you to know that I am not happy about being left behind on this island. But I hope you and Omy can get through these very hard times. Stay strong, guys!"

Mewtwo gave a small smile that was in contrast to his frowning eyes.

"That will be all, miss," Yan said to the reporter.

"Thank you. I'm Alexa Vox, live reporter for PokéTV."

After a few moments of silence, a man with black hair and mustache came out of the emergency room while holding an electronic tablet. "Mister Mewtwo? I am Doctor Fredrick Saltpeter. I have Omy's x-ray photo here." He looked at said photo on the tablet. "And by the looks of it, things are … complicated."

Mewtwo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We've never operated on a pokémon like omanyte before, but from what I can tell, Omy is at risk of having shards of his shell pierce through his vital organs, especially if he takes deep breaths. Our surgeon is doing his best to extract those shards and glue Omy's shell back together. The prognosis is guarded unless the situation improves."

"Guarded?"

"It means that your pokémon's fate is uncertain at this time. We will inform you of any changes as soon as they happen. I wish you both good luck." With that, the doctor went back into the E.R. and left Mewtwo with even more worries than before.

"Mewtwo, it might take a few hours until the surgery is done," Nurse Joy said. "You should go for a walk and try to calm down a little."

Mewtwo sighed. "I could try, but then how am I going to receive any news about Omy's state? I don't have a phone."

"You could use your telepathy to contact me. I heard that pokémon and people who possess it can communicate from great distances. I'd say that's better than using voices."

With eyes wide, Mewtwo said, "It can be heard over long distances?! I … I am able to do that?!"

"I don't know for sure," the nurse said while checking something on her desk's computer. "You are a psychic type, right? I've heard you are the strongest pokémon in the world, so you probably have really great psychic power."

Mewtwo waved his tail while closing his eyes. "Probably. It just wasn't enough to help me protect Omy." His entire body turned bright white, then he teleported away.

* * *

Outside of the red, dome-shaped, creaturelike building that was the pokémon center of Vermilion City, Mewtwo appeared out of thin air, startling some of the people who were standing nearby. He walked away, scowling while inside his mind he was having a battle with himself. _I should have put him inside his poké ball. He would have been safe, and none of this would have happened. If only I knew I wasn't skilled enough to take on Team Rocket … I should have trained myself more._

He ended up wandering onto a beach, yet the sensation of sand at his feet did not help him relax. Neither did the bright white moon. He sat near the shore and stared at his distorted reflection on the surface of the water. Not even the calm splashing of the ocean's waves could make him feel any better.

 _If Omy dies … what am I going to tell Professor Oak and the scientists? They all put their hopes in me, and I failed to keep Omy safe. What kind of a trainer am I?_

Tears started to form in his eyes. His ears were no longer flexible for some reason – another thing to bother him when he was at his worst.

 _They say I'm the strongest pokémon in the world. Why then could I not stop his fall? Why?_

He closed his eyes, and a tear fell from his left one. At that moment he received a hard slap on his right arm and heard, "Psyduck-psy!" This startled him and made him stare in awe at the yellow creature that stood before him. It was much shorter than him, reaching only to his chest. Vaguely human-shaped with webbed feet and hands, it had a short tail and a long, flat beak with rounded tip. Three black hairs decorated the top of the creature's head. Its big, round eyes with small black pupils glared at Mewtwo. "Psy-y-y ..." it said while face-palming.

"Who and what are you?"

"Psyduck," the yellow creature said, still scowling at him.

"Hi, Psyduck. I wish you had found me at a better time. Right now I'm dealing with so many problems that I feel like they're suffocating me."

Psyduck slapped him on the arm again. "Psy-y! Duck duck psy!"

Mewtwo glared at Psyduck. "How can I relax when my little buddy's life is hanging by a thread?"

Psyduck's eyes glowed bright blue as it raised its arms. "Psyyyyyy ..."

In response, the water formed a column of itself and towered near Mewtwo, who stared in disbelief. "What are you doing?" When Psyduck said, "Duuuck!" Mewtwo found himself caught in a waterfall that poured over him until he was flat on the ground.

Shaking the water off, he fixed his eyes on Psyduck. "You picked a bad time to start a battle with me."

Psyduck didn't have the ability to smile with its beak, but the shape of its eyes at that moment still made it look smug.

Mewtwo sensed a strong psychic power within the yellow pokémon. "I know exactly how to counter you." He put all of his anger into a shadow ball he formed between his hands, then launched it toward Psyduck. To his surprise, the little nuisance took the hit and still remained standing, in spite of gaining a few sores on its body. "What?! But how?"

"Psy duck," it said, tilting its head to the left with a blank stare.

Mewtwo brought out his pokédex, which said, "Psyduck, the duck pokémon. Its type is: water. Psyduck is known to exhibit amazing psychic powers when it has an intense headache. Although usually seen goofing around, if well-trained this pokémon can be a master at disabling some of the most powerful attacks."

Psyduck raised its hands and blue rings of light came from its forehead, spreading out the closer they got to Mewtwo.

"What did that do?"

"Duckpsy."

"Disable? You mean …" Mewtwo tried to use shadow ball again. "I can't attack anymore? That's not fair!"

Psyduck waved its right hand. "Psy psydu psy-y."

"Use another attack? You're planning on disabling this one too, aren't you?"

"Duck."

"Well, here goes nothing," Mewtwo said, summoning his strongest psychic attack. He aimed it at Psyduck, hoping it would land. Much to his disappointment, he saw his attack get reflected by a green, spherical shield Psyduck put around itself. "What will it take to make you go away?"

"Psydu psy-y."

"You'll just disable my psychic."

"Psy!"

"Fine!" Mewtwo said, charging up another psychic attack. He managed to push Psyduck away, making it land on its back.

Psyduck remained on the ground and started to snore while a green aura surrounded it for a few seconds.

"You've healed yourself?! That's not fair!"

The yellow pokémon ignored him and continued to snooze. Mewtwo used psychic on it again, sending it flying further on the beach.

Psyduck emitted the blue rings again, disabling the psychic attack.

Mewtwo's jaw dropped. "Now what am I supposed to use?" He thought for a bit, then made up his mind. "Let's try physical force!" His brick break attack landed, but Psyduck just turned on the side and continued to snooze while the green aura returned.

"Again with the healing?" He tried brick break again, and it landed.

Psyduck's only reaction was to drool.

"Does this mean you are finally giving up?"

"Duck," Psyduck said while its body glowed bright white.

Mewtwo checked the psyduck's mind. "You've increased your special attack. I don't think I can–" He received a hydro pump to the face, getting knocked to the ground.

Psyduck woke up and face-palmed. "Psy-y-y ..."

"How is this possible?"

"Psyduck psy duckpsy sypsy."

"You want me to follow you?"

Psyduck nodded.

Mewtwo got back on his feet. "Okay. I hope this isn't a trap."

* * *

Mewtwo and Psyduck were sitting on some rocks under a waterfall. The hissing of the running water did not stop them from having a fully telepathic conversation.

 _"So, you're saying … you want to team up with me against Team Rocket?"_ Mewtwo asked.

 _"Psyduck psy-y duck duckpsydy."_

 _"You want me to look into your memories for the reason? Let's see ..."_

In Psyduck's mind, Mewtwo could see the memories play out like small movies recorded from the pokémon's perspective. Psyduck brought up the ones he wanted Mewtwo to see. There was a black-haired man who had raised Psyduck from egg to adult. The man, who was named Lester, was one of the past champions of the Indigo Pokémon League. Psyduck and him grew old together, and had faced many challenges, but the worst one was on the day Team Rocket had attacked Lester in a cave to steal his pokémon. The thugs had defeated Lester's gyarados, charizard, vaporeon, machamp, and clefable, but failed to defeat Psyduck. Seeing that they were getting nowhere with trying to attack Psyduck, one of the thugs sent out a beedrill, which snuck up behind Lester and stung him in the right leg. Team Rocket stole Lester's poké balls as he collapsed to the ground. Psyduck was so worried for his trainer's life that he didn't bother to stop the thieves from running away with the stolen pokémon. He tried to stop Lester's poisoning, but he could not figure out what to use. In a last attempt, Psyduck hugged his trainer's leg, but the poison continued to spread. Lester wasn't conscious, so there was no one to tell Psyduck what to do. Hours later, he released the old man's cold leg, barely seeing the trainer's shape through tears.

 _"They … killed your trainer," Mewtwo said. "They weren't just messing around when they told Yan that they do this."_

 _"Psy duck."_

 _"I want to team up with you against them too."_

 _"Psyduck sypsy psydu psy-y."_

 _"Do we really have to fight first? I don't know how to win against you."_

Psyduck fell asleep and healed again. _"Psyyy!"_

 _"You're saying … that I can heal too? By resting?"_

Psyduck nodded. _"Psy."_

 _"Let's see if I can,"_ Mewtwo said, closing his eyes. He tried to fall asleep, but the water kept him awake. _"There's no way. I'm not used to this much noise. I doubt I'll be able to do what you do during battle."_

 _"Psy-y-y … Psypsyduck du psy!"_

 _"It's because of my worries? I'll … try not to let them get the better of me."_

It took Mewtwo a while, but he finally managed to relax his mind and body. It was at that moment that he felt a pleasant energy within his chest. He wasn't yet asleep, but he wondered if he could tap into that power. It spread through him, giving a tickling sensation. His body was surrounded by a bright green light that spread outward like a sphere, surrounding him before fading away. _"I think I've succeeded. I feel invigorated, but I am still awake."_ He looked at Psyduck. _"Do you think this might be good enough to help me win this time?"_ Psyduck shrugged, still having his eyes closed. _"Psy .. y-yduck."_

* * *

A new battle was started on the beach of Vermilion City. Mewtwo was allowed to be first to use his psychic attack. It hit Psyduck hard, but the duck pokémon retaliated with shadow claw, which turned his claws black just before he scratched Mewtwo.

Mewtwo held his right shoulder with his left hand over the scratch mark. "Shadow claw is a ghost type attack. No wonder it hurts me so much."

Psyduck expected Mewtwo's next psychic attack, so he disabled it.

"Not again!"

"Psy!"

Mewtwo went for the next best thing: telekinesis. He lifted Psyduck up into the air and held him there. "Now I have a better view of you."

Psyduck fell asleep to heal himself.

"I'm not letting you get away with that this time," Mewtwo said as he prepared a shadow ball. He launched it and landed it on Psyduck. In response, Psyduck cleared his mind and raised his special attack. Knowing what this meant, Mewtwo prepared to dodge. He jumped out of the way and moved rapidly, making the hydro pump miss him.

Psyduck braced himself, preparing for Mewtwo's next attack, which was another shadow ball. He protected himself, and then retaliated with another hydro pump, this time hitting Mewtwo.

The genetic pokémon endured the hit, but he was barely standing. It was time to put to use his new skill. He recovered somewhat, although he still felt tired.

Psyduck used shadow claw again, hitting Mewtwo hard enough to leave scratches on the chest.

"Ouch! There's got to be some way to … Hmm … You're a water type. Weak to electric attacks. And there are clouds above us. The memories I have tell me that clouds are known for having electrical discharges. Maybe if I reach out to them ..." He sensed the potential for causing lightning to form, so he used his psychic power to drag out the strongest lightning he could create and sent it toward Psyduck. It struck the yellow pokémon while a loud roar echoed in the area, sending Psyduck rolling over the sand.

"Psy … duck," Psyduck said, raising his right arm for a second before letting it fall back. Then he started to snore.

"I guess this means I can capture you now," Mewtwo said, bringing out an empty poké ball with his psychic power. He swung and threw it at Psyduck, capturing him instantly. "Yes! Now I have six pokémon!"

The ball glowed bright white and then disappeared, leaving only a slightly sunken round area in the sand.

"What?!" Mewtwo said, his eyes widening as he witnessed what had just happened before him. "Hey! I want my ball back!"

▶ **To be continued.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: The Final Boss**

Nurse Joy had just finished entering information about her newest patient into her computer. As one of her chansey carried the injured pokémon – a raticate that looked rather scruffy – she turned to face the raticate's owner, who was a teenage boy. She told him, "Your pokémon will be revitalized. You'll be able to take him back in about half an hour. Have a seat while you wait; or take a walk outside."

"I'll wait here. Thank you, Nurse Joy." With that, the teenager took a seat next to other trainers that were waiting for their pokémon to be returned.

Mewtwo appeared out of nowhere right in front of the nurse. She gasped, but then regained her calm after realizing what had just happened.

"Nurse!" he said. "Any news about Omy's situation?"

She nodded. "I was hoping you would contact me or return to talk about it. I have some good news and some bad news."

"Well, at least there is some good news. Start with whichever you want."

"The good news is that the surgery was a success. Omy's situation is stable, and his shell has been glued together as accurately as possible. With some calcium supplements, it should repair itself completely." After a brief moment of silence, during which she saw Mewtwo's mouth form a smile, she added, "However, like I said, there is some bad news."

"I'm listening." His smile faded away.

"Omy needs time to recover. This means he has to stay inside his ball a lot, and he cannot battle for at least two months."

"But the Indigo Plateau Conference will happen next month!" He sighed. "I guess I'll have to capture another water pokémon. Gah, I almost forgot! I was about to capture one, but just when I had him in the ball, he just … made off with it. My ball disappeared in a flash of light. I guess he teleported it somewhere."

She stared at him, confused. "A flash of light? That sounds like normal poké ball behavior if you already have six pokémon on hand and you capture a seventh one."

"I cannot carry more than six? But wait! I only had _five_ before capturing Psyduck!"

"Strange. You could contact Professor Oak and ask him about this incident. Use one of the computers that are near the water cooler."

"Thanks!" Mewtwo said before heading for the middle computer. There were six numbers listed, five of them being associated with names of professors, and one with the police. "Let's see, Birch, Elm … Oak! 0001? Well, that's an easy number." He entered it on the keypad, and then the screen showed a phone icon with animated yellow waves coming from its speaker. A green led light lit up above the camera at the top of the monitor.

When the screen brightened, a video feed of the professor appeared on it. "Yes? Oh! Mewtwo! Nice to see you again!"

"H-hello, Professor … I ..."

"Are you all right? Why the long face?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I failed to keep Omy out of harm's way."

The professor held his right hand over his mouth. "Oh, dear!"

Mewtwo opened his eyes. "He's still alive, but he won't be able to battle for about two months. Team Rocket attacked him and cracked his shell. I wasn't fast enough to protect him."

"Those damn Rockets! Always causing harm to pokémon ..."

"Not just to pokémon, Professor. They've killed humans too. There was this psyduck … I found out from his mind that his trainer had been robbed and killed by Team Rocket grunts. The psyduck wanted to join me, but as soon as I've captured it, my poké ball disappeared."

The professor smiled. "Don't worry, it was teleported safely over to my place." He turned the camera to the right to show Psyduck, who was sitting in a brown armchair while scowling. "Though I must say, that is the first grumpy psyduck I've seen."

Psyduck face-palmed while shaking his head left to right. "Psy-y-y!"

"Psyduck!" Mewtwo said. "Don't worry, I'll come to get you soon."

The professor told him, "You could just push the right white button inside your pokédex to request an exchange."

"Wait. Nurse Joy said that poké balls get teleported if I'm carrying more than six pokémon."

"That is correct."

"But at that time, I was only carrying six – Psyduck included!"

Oak chuckled. "You seem to have forgotten something."

"Huh?" Mewtwo formed a question mark with his tail. After thinking for a second, his eyes widened. "Oh! _I_ am one of the six I've got on me!"

"Exactly."

"I need to exchange a pokémon for Psyduck. Omy needs to rest for a long time, so … I'll send him over. He'll be safer at your place anyway."

"Well then, I'll prepare your psyduck for the exchange," the professor said while picking up a poké ball. "Psyduck, are you ready to be sent back to Mewtwo?"

Still looking grumpy, Psyduck only said, "Psy." Then he turned into red light and went back into his ball.

Oak smiled at the ball, then looked at the camera. "Good. Mewtwo, all you need to do is have Omy in his poké ball within range of your pokédex, and then initiate the transfer."

"Right. But before we do this, there is something important I need to ask you. It's about Team Rocket."

"Go ahead."

"They seem to be working for someone named Giovanni. Do you have any idea who that could be?"

Oak's mouth remained open. "Could they be talking about Giovanni from Viridian City?"

Mewtwo squinted his eyes. "What can you tell me about that person?"

"Well, he's … I doubt it could be him, but then again there's also Sabrina's case where nobody wanted to mess with her. Mewtwo, the only Giovanni I know from Kanto is the leader of the Viridian Gym. You should go and challenge him. Even if he turns out to not be the leader of Team Rocket, you could battle for the earth badge if you still need more badges. Remember, you need eight of them to qualify for the Indigo League Conference."

"Indeed, it is the perfect opportunity. I only need one more badge. I will go there and I will face the gym leader. I just hope he has returned. He wasn't there last time I tried to enter that gym."

"He should be there tomorrow at 7 in the morning. It's the last month before the Indigo League event, so he is obligated to uphold his duty as a gym leader at the very least during these thirty days."

Mewtwo telekinetically brought his pokédex out of his backpack. "Then I will swap Omy with Psyduck now, and then I will rest until morning. Let's begin the transfer." He pushed the button, and a menu was initiated. "Nurse Joy, can you bring me Omy's poké ball, please?"

"Sure," she said, then turned around to talk to a chansey. The chansey took the ball from a slot of a healing machine and handed it to her. Joy took the ball and then gave it to Mewtwo. "There you go."

"Thank you," Mewtwo said. Then he looked at the screen, where Oak was seen fiddling with his own transfer machine and placing Psyduck's ball into a round slot. Above that slot there was a metal tube that was connected to a large monitor that stood above the machine's base.

"Everything is ready, Mewtwo," Oak said. "Just initiate the transfer."

Mewtwo pressed the button and the transfer menu showed his six pokémon that he was carrying: Buzz, Charles, Vixie, Omy, Eggs, and himself. Below them there was Psyduck, marked as being at Professor Oak's lab. He used the cross-shaped button to move the selection brackets to Omy's icon. "I've told the device which pokémon I want to send over. Now what do I push, Professor?"

"Push the green button to confirm selection of the first pokémon, then navigate to the bottom list to select which other one you wish to swap with."

Mewtwo selected Psyduck and then confirmed that he wished to go through with the exchange. The poké balls got swapped. "I'm sure Omy will be better off staying at your place. As for Psyduck, he and I have a score to settle with Team Rocket. We'll bring down their entire organization in the name of all the pokémon and people they have wronged!"

* * *

The two guards in bronze armor stood in front of the entrance of the Viridian Gym. Each of them held his bronze halberd upright, ready to use it if order would need to be kept.

In front of them, Mewtwo materialized. "I'm here to challenge this gym's leader."

After the guards crossed their halberds to block the path to the entrance, one of them said, "The gym leader isn't here. Come back some other day."

Mewtwo looked at them and closed his eyes. "That is a lie. Giovanni is inside, and he has ordered you to keep me away from him." He opened his eyes, which started glowing bright blue. With his hands, he mimed the act of pushing two things away from each other, to the sides. The guards were sent flying into some bushes near the gym. "They were trying to buy time for Giovanni. I hope I'm not too late to stop him." Using his telekinesis, he forced the copper doors to open.

Inside the gym, he was "welcomed" by two Team Rocket members. One of them was a teenage guy with short cyan hair and sharp white suit, the other was a teenage girl with shoulder-length red hair and a white robe. Both of them had a black pentagon with a red R on the left side of the chest and held a poké ball in one hand.

"I don't have time to battle Giovanni's subordinates," Mewtwo said, his eyes aglow.

The girl grinned. "You have no choice. We're wearing vests imbued with the essence of dark pokémon, so don't bother trying to use your psychic powers on us."

Her colleague seemed very calm. He knew that Mewtwo could not harm him directly. Throwing his ball, he said, "Go, Golbat!"

The girl threw her ball too. "Go, Arbok!"

"Both of your pokémon are weak to my psychic attacks," Mewtwo said, "and neither of them has any protection against my power."

"That's why we will complicate things," the redhead said. Bringing out two more balls, she said, "Go, Gloom! Go, Murkrow!"

The guy brought out two more balls as well. "Go, Houndoom! Go, Koffing!"

"Archer's houndoom and my murkrow will hold you down while the rest of our pokémon will attack you," the girl said.

Mewtwo brought five poké balls out of his backpack. "You seem to be forgetting that I have pokémon by my side as well."

"Oh, we didn't forget," Archer said. "But Ariana and I were merely given the task of keeping you and your pokémon busy for a while."

Mewtwo gritted his teeth as he glared at the two Team Rocket members. "I can't let Giovanni get away! Charles! Vixie! Buzz! Eggs! Psyduck! Come out!" As his pokémon materialized in front of him, he hoped that he could focus enough to order them to fight while also taking part in the battle himself.

"Attack them all!" Ariana ordered while pointing at Mewtwo and his team.

In response, all six of Team Rocket's pokémon charged at their opponents, ready to tear them apart.

Mewtwo telepathically ordered Charles to take on Gloom and avoid its sleep powder. He told Vixie to aim her thunder attacks at Golbat. Eggs was to handle battling with Arbok. Buzz would chase Koffing through the air. Psyduck was just perfect to counter Houndoom. That left Mewtwo to deal with Murkrow. "If I'll use fighting attacks on you, your flying type would reduce the damage. What else could I use?"

"Murkrow! Dark pulse on Mewtwo!" Ariana ordered.

Mewtwo was struck by Murkrow's attack, but fortunately for him, the pokémon wasn't as strong as its evolution that he had faced on the island. The Team Rocket members weren't aiming to win the fight after all. He saw Vixie use thunder on Golbat, and an idea popped into his mind. He used his telekinesis to redirect the next thunder attack toward Murkrow. "Sorry, Vixie, I need to borrow this." It hit Murkrow hard enough to knock it unconscious.

Charles was so successful in battling that he had enough vigor to fight the opponents of most of his teammates and defeat them. Psyduck finished off Houndoom with a powerful hydro pump. Mewtwo's team was victorious.

Just then, the two guards entered the hall and witnessed the pile of defeated Team Rocket pokémon on the floor. This left them in complete silence for a few seconds. Then one of them threw a poké ball. "Go, Skitty!"

A small, pink feline pokémon that had a bulbous tail with three yellow pins at its tip appeared from the ball. Charles instantly knocked it out with his flamethrower.

"Now get out of my way," Mewtwo said to the humans in the room. They had no choice but to comply. He continued to walk forward, followed closely by his team. Just as he was near the arena, he sensed three familiar entities hiding behind a column to his right. "Who is there? Show yourselves!"

Meowth, Jessie, and James revealed themselves and stared at him.

Mewtwo's tail waved slowly. "Meowth, if you and your team are going to block my path, I'll throw you all right out the door."

The trio brought out red paper fans and held them in each hand, then started chanting, "Mewtwo! Mewtwo! Go! Go! Go! Beat Giovanni, free Kanto!"

Mewtwo tilted his head to the left. "What?"

"We won't stand in your way, big guy," Meowth said. "We saw what happened to the rest of Team Rocket. Most of the remaining grunts are considering resigning, because they don't stand a chance against you. If you defeat our boss, the entire organization will fall apart."

"But he got away while you guys were holding me back!" Mewtwo said.

"Nah, he's still ready to accept your challenge. That's why he left that giant monitor on top of his desk behind the arena." Meowth pointed at said screen as it lit up to show Giovanni on it.

Mewtwo went closer until he reached the beginning of the arena's field. "Are you the boss of Team Rocket?"

"Yes, that would be me," Giovanni said, a look of apathy showing on his face. His persian, who sat near the boss' armchair, hissed at the camera.

"Why aren't you facing me in person, coward?" Mewtwo asked.

A smile formed on Giovanni's face. "I am not stupid. I know you have the power to easily trap me and then hand me over to the cops. In fact, I know everything about you. After all, you were created for me, based on my ideas. It's too bad that the incident with the ditto happened. I had invested so much money into those scientists' cloning projects. I bought your very existence. You were supposed to be _my_ unique pokémon." He clenched his right fist.

"You asked them to create me solely for the purpose of becoming your slave," Mewtwo said.

"You are a pokémon. All pokémon are meant to be enslaved. It's in their nature to follow the strong. And humans are the strongest creatures to have ever walked this planet. With our wills of steel and our ever-advancing technologies, we can enslave even the most destructive of pokémon!"

"No! You are wrong!" Mewtwo said, whipping the air with his tail. "Pokémon follow the strong for one of two reasons. The first is out of respect. They see someone they can learn from, and they ally with that someone. The second … is out of self-preservation. We are alive, just like you humans are. Even you would do things against your will if someone threatened to harm or kill you. However, anyone who acts under threat can never reach their true potential. And that is the difference of having pokémon follow true trainers compared to following extortionists like you."

"Psy!" Psyduck said, giving a nasty look to Giovanni.

"A nice speech," Giovanni said. "But actions speak louder than words. Battle against me. Convince me that your methods of dealing with pokémon are better than mine, and I might just see you as an equal."

Mewtwo scowled. "How can I battle you when you've fled your own gym?"

"Behind this monitor there is a machine that contains five of my prized pokémon. Defeat them, and I will send my sixth. If you defeat him too, you win."

"I only have five. You better fight fair, Giovanni!"

"As the leader of a criminal organization, I may have allowed my underlings to employ the scummiest of tactics in order to get me what I wanted, but I do have honor as a gym leader. You may heal your pokémon before we begin."

Mewtwo telekinetically brought five potions out of his backpack and administered them to his team.

Giovanni continued. "We'll be using up to six pokémon each, one at a time. I will even let you choose your pokémon first."

"Then I choose Charles," Mewtwo said. His charizard stepped forward from his left side and growled at Giovanni's image.

"I see you still have Charmandertwo," Giovanni said. "He too was created thanks to my investments."

Mewtwo took the opportunity to get a sneak peek into Charles' mind. He saw the point of view of Charles emerging from an egg. There were three other charmander around him. One seemed weak. So weak that a man in a white lab coat grabbed it with a pair of giant tweezers and put it into a bag, giving it to another man in a similar lab coat while saying, "Dispose of it." Then the man with the tweezers came for Charles. "Look at you! Such large, clear blue eyes and such sharp fangs … You seem like one who has won the lottery of the gene pool." He picked Charles up with both of his hands and held him so they could see eye to eye. "Let's see how resistant you are."

As a charmander, Charles had to endure numerous daily tests that involved throwing him into a tube of water and leaving him without any air. The scientist would take notes as Charles would struggle and hit the thick glass wall to no avail. Whenever Charles would black out, he'd find himself in a glass cage that only had six small holes at the top to let air inside.

There were times when Charles was taken to the arena to test his fighting abilities. Giovanni was the one ordering him to use attacks he had not yet mastered and scolding him each time he allowed the opponent to hit him. If Charles lost a match, Giovanni would kick him before recalling him. Sometimes Giovanni would let some of his grunts order Charles in battle, planning to ensure that the charmander would obey anyone from Team Rocket if needed. They too would smack and kick him or use their own pokémon on him if he'd lose a battle. In time, Charles became stronger, his agility improved to the point where he could outspeed other charmander. He was winning match after match, and this pleased Giovanni.

The last memory Charles had of those horrible times was of getting his mouth shut with a muzzle and being strapped to a table with the help of metal chains while the scientist poked his tail with a needle. What Mewtwo found odd was that the tail wasn't striped, while Charles' tail had some crimson stripes on it. Then Mewtwo realized whose memories he was actually seeing. "Charles has … the memories of the original charmander. No wonder he hates trainers. After all of those things you guys did to that little pokémon ..."

"It was strong enough to bear it," Giovanni said. "Otherwise I wouldn't have ordered a clone of him. Now, are you done talking so we can battle?"

Mewtwo growled while showing his fangs. Charles did the same. Both of them were glaring at the monitor.

Giovanni pushed a button on his armchair's right armrest. "This will be a great opportunity to see Charmandertwo's strength in action."

One of the poké balls from behind the monitor released a pokémon that looked like a giant boulder with two legs and arms and a reptilian head with red eyes. Each of its hands had three claws, and each of its legs had five – one claw pointing toward its back.

"What pokémon is that?" Mewtwo asked.

"It's a golem," said Giovanni. "Rock-ground type. Your charizard may be able to avoid its ground type moves – for a while at least – but the fire-flying type is at a severe disadvantage against rock attacks. Go ahead, order your charizard to attack."

"Alright, Charles, let's show him what you can do!"

"Zaaar!" Charles said in response to his trainer's words.

"Dig!"

Charles spread his wings, jumped high into the air, and then plunged into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Both Giovanni and his golem were shocked to see a charizard use such an unorthodox attack. "Golem! Use earthquake!"

Golem proceeded to jump into the air in an attempt to land hard on the ground. Unfortunately for it, Charles burst out of the ground and hit Golem with the force of the soil, causing major cracks to its outer shell.

After seeing Charles land without a scratch on him, Giovanni said, "How is this possible?"

Mewtwo smirked at him. "You never spend enough time to learn about pokémon types, do you, Giovanni?"

"Damn it! I didn't think Charizard's flying type could protect it against earthquake even while he's under ground. But it is my turn now. And I will make sure that this won't happen again. Golem! Smack down!"

"Gol!" it said as it formed a golden orb of light in its mouth. It then spat it at Charles' head, knocking him on his back.

Charles felt like his body was heavier than usual, and his forehead's skin hurt from the impact of the attack.

"Hang in there, Charles! We can take Golem down! We just need the right strategy. Let's see … Other than ground attacks, rock types are weak to ice, water, steel, grass … fighting? That's it! Charles! Use brick break!"

Charles' right hand glowed bright white as he delivered a swift chop to Golem's rocky body, shattering a part of it and sending shards of stone flying.

"Enjoy that moment," Giovanni said, "because now you are about to see how useless your charizard's flying type is after the smack down. Golem! Earthquake!"

Golem jumped high into the air and landed onto the ground, shaking the entire arena. The shock waves went into Charles' body, causing him great pain.

"Charles! It's your turn to use earthquake!" Mewtwo said.

Charles jumped as high as he could, and even flapped his wings a bit to gain more altitude. The effect of smack down still dragged him back to the ground, but he didn't need to stay airborne anyway. He landed with enough force to shake the arena just as hard as Golem did.

Giovanni saw his pokémon roll over and faint while Charles stood there triumphant. "So … this is what I could have had. Let's further test how much damage your charizard can take. Golem, return to your ball. Rhydon! Get out there!"

His golem was exchanged with a pokémon that stood much taller than it. It was even slightly above Charles' height. Its body was covered in gray rocky armor that extended to protect its long, segmented thick tail. Its back had a vertical line of four spikes protruding out of it. Its hands had three claws while its feet had two. It had two ears pointing up, and a small crest on the left and right side of its head. The most notable part of its body was the cream colored drill horn on its nose. On the creature's forehead there was another horn, but it was gray like the armor. Rhydon's abdomen was segmented, just like its tail, and colored like its larger horn.

"It's my turn," Giovanni said. "Rhydon! Rock slide!"

Rhydon created gray rocks in front of itself and then directed their path with its arms, sending the boulders flying at Charles. The attack severely weakened Charles, but he still managed to get back on his feet.

"Your charizard may be strong, but rock attacks make him less than stellar when it comes to endurance."

Mewtwo knew that Charles would not last much longer in battle, so he had to make sure to deal the highest damage possible to Rhydon before he'd send out his next pokémon. "Charles! Use earthquake again! Give it all you got!"

Charles jumped high into the air, then landed heavily on the ground, sending the shock waves into Rhydon's body. The attack caused a lot of pain to Giovanni's pokémon.

Giovanni smiled. "A good effort, but your charizard's role has come to an end. Rhydon! Rock slide!"

Rhydon hurled the gray rocks at Charles, knocking him out. Mewtwo recalled his fainted pokemon and turned around to look at his teammates. "Eggs, you have a huge advantage against Rhydon. Get out there!" He pointed at the battlefield, and Eggs stepped onto it.

"You even kept that exeggutor that my underlings failed to bring to me," Giovanni said. "Well, now's your chance to show me what it can do. It's your turn."

"Eggs, show Rhydon your power whip!" Mewtwo ordered while pointing at the opponent.

Eggs gladly extended two glowing purple leaves from its head and whipped Rhydon, knocking it out in one hit.

"Well, it's definitely powerful," Giovanni said, "but I have just the thing to counter your grass-dragon type. Rhydon, get back. Nidoqueen! Go!"

Rhydon was exchanged for a Pokémon that had a similar appearance to it. Its armored skin was blue, with two cream-colored round plates on the chest and a similarly colored lower jaw and lower abdomen. The creature's back had a vertical line of five spikes – the fifth near the tail being smaller. Nidoqueen's head had two short horns of the same color as its armor. Its ears were larger than Rhydon's, and their inside skin was brown. Nidoqueen was much shorter than Rhydon, but seemed equally as sturdy.

"Nidoqueen! Sludge wave!" Giovanni ordered.

His pokémon emitted dark purple sludge from within its tough skin's pores. It then sent a wave of the sludge toward Eggs, who got hit so hard he fell like a cut tree.

Mewtwo reached out for him. "Eggs! Come on, you can't give up now!"

"Exegg … gutor!" Eggs said as he got back on his feet.

"You could attack with confusion, but that will probably not do much damage," his trainer said. "Nidoqueen will attack and still win on the next turn."

"Eggs egg gutor exegg!"

"Wood hammer? What does that do?"

"Eggs."

"What do you mean 'eggs'? You know what? Do it. I want to see."

Eggs' leaves glowed bright green as he swiftly bowed and hammered Nidoqueen with his head. The attack left both pokémon fainted.

"I'm … not sure what to think about this," Mewtwo said.

Giovanni had a serious expression on his face. "I've lost three pokémon and you've lost two so far. You may be in the lead for now, but let's see how you'll deal with this. Nidoqueen, get back! Go, Dugtrio!"

A creature – or rather three creatures joined together – appeared. All that could be seen were their brown heads. Each head had a red nose, two black, beady eyes, and no other facial features.

Mewtwo recalled Eggs and felt tempted to summon Psyduck, but he decided that it was best to weaken Giovanni's pokémon by using the ones that weren't exactly good counters for ground types. "Vixie! I choose you!"

Vixie jumped onto the battlefield, eager to fight. "Jol jol!"

"Really?" Giovanni asked. "A jolteon? You could not have picked a worse pokémon for this job. Anyway, it's my turn. Dugtrio! Dig!"

Dugtrio buried itself and dug through the soil.

"Vixie, dig!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie dug into the ground just before Dugtrio popped out. She tunneled all the way to where she could hear her opponent move, then she attacked with the power of the ground she pushed forward, leaping out and landing gracefully on her feet.

"Good job, Vixie!" Mewtwo said, smiling at her. She smiled back at him.

Giovanni covered his forehead with his right hand while closing his eyes in frustration. "This is ridiculous." He opened his eyes and pointed at the camera. "Dugtrio! Earthquake! Now!"

Dugtrio shook the arena, but Vixie jumped around, avoiding the undulation of the ground and the debris that scattered due to the earthquake.

Giovanni gasped. "It's still standing!"

"It's our turn now," Mewtwo said, smirking at him. "Vixie … hyper beam."

Vixie's fur spikes stood on end as she gathered her energy and put it into a powerful yellow beam that she emitted from her mouth.

Giovanni's pokémon wasn't fast enough to avoid taking the beam to the face. It fainted.

"Fourth one out. Dugtrio, return to your ball. Nidoking! To the arena!"

"King!" Nidoking said, coming out of its ball to replace Dugtrio. It looked like Nidoqueen, but mostly purple. Instead of having the round protective plates on its chest, it had three large white plates that looked like pectoral and abdominal muscles. Its tail seemed longer and stronger. Nidoking's head had a single, long horn and two ears with green insides. A ridge of seven spines went down the creature's back. While its hands had three claws like Nidoqueen's, Nidoking's feet had only one hoof-like nail each. A white, bony protrusion could be seen on each of its elbows.

"It's payback time," Giovanni said. "Nidoking! Use toxic!"

Nidoking spat purple sludge at Vixie. She tried to avoid it, and almost succeeded, but a few drops landed on her right leg. The poison found its way into her circulatory system, badly poisoning her. It didn't help that she was still exhausted from using hyper beam the previous turn. She wasn't ready to take the next order.

Mewtwo knew that if Nidoking's next attack would land, Vixie would go down.

"Nidoking! Earthquake!" Giovanni ordered.

"Nido!" Nidoking said before slamming its tail into the ground several times, sending the shock waves toward Vixie.

She didn't react fast enough to jump out of the way, so the ground struck her and half-buried her. Mewtwo had no choice but to recall Vixie.

Giovanni grinned. "I've lost four pokémon, and you've lost three. You better step up your game, because I'm catching up to you."

"It's not over yet," Mewtwo said. "Buzz! Go!"

"Bzz!" his beedrill said, flying over to the arena.

"A bug-poison type?" Giovanni said. "An interesting choice. Bug types are resistant to ground, and poison types are resistant to poison attacks. But what can you do against my Nidoking? Bug attacks won't put a dent in its armor, and neither will poison attacks."

"You've ever heard of outrage?" Mewtwo asked. "Because Buzz is about to use it. Now, Buzz! Outrage!"

Buzz focused all of his energy, his eyes glowing bright red while his body emitted an aura of the same color. He flew at Nidoking and repeatedly stung it with his arms' needles.

Giovanni had to think fast before his pokémon would get too exhausted to fight back. "Nidoking! Fire blast!"

Nidoking's attack hit Buzz and sent him rolling on the ground, but Buzz's fury was unstoppable. He immediately got back up and flew at Nidoking's face, stinging it rapidly.

"Dispose of it right now! Nidoking! Flamethrower!"

Nidoking listened to its master and spat out a jet of hot flames, finally knocking Buzz unconscious.

Mewtwo held Buzz' poké ball. "You did well, Buzz. Come back." After Buzz returned, Mewtwo looked at his last remaining pokémon. "Well, Psyduck, this is your chance. Charles, Eggs, Vixie and Buzz did their best to make this easier for you. Now Giovanni has only two pokémon. Do you think you can handle them?"

Psyduck nodded while having a serious expression on his face. "Psy."

"The arena awaits you then," Mewtwo said while gesturing toward the battlefield.

Psyduck stepped up, glaring at Giovanni's image.

"A psyduck," Team Rocket's boss said. "One of the silliest pokémon I've ever seen, even when it's giving me that nasty look."

Psyduck's expression became even nastier. "Duuuuuckkkk ..."

"I wouldn't anger him if I were you," Mewtwo said. "He's already having a big headache."

Giovanni chuckled. "Go ahead and order it to attack. Amaze me."

"Psyduck! Use psychic on Nidoking!"

Psyduck complied with Mewtwo's order, lifting Nidoking into the air by using his mind. After staring at the struggling opponent for a while, he threw it to the ground, causing Nidoking to feel pain throughout its body.

"Hmm, it's like a mini version of you, only water type," Giovanni said while rubbing his chin. "Fortunately, I have trained Nidoking to defend itself against water types. Nidoking! Thunder!"

Nidoking's horn emanated a massive lightning bolt that struck Psyduck and knocked him to the ground.

Mewtwo gasped. "Psyduck! Are you okay?"

"Psy … duck," Psyduck said, crawling back to his prior position and then getting back on his feet. His skin was full of burn marks.

"Use confusion on Nidoking!" Mewtwo ordered.

Psyduck attacked the opponent, successfully confusing it.

"Nidoking! Use thunder again!" Giovanni ordered.

Nidoking tripped on its own tail and fell to the ground.

"Looks like your Nidoking cannot follow orders right now," Mewtwo said. He had to pick the next move carefully. Psyduck was very weakened, and there was no telling what Giovanni's sixth pokémon would be. "Psyduck … use rest. If we're lucky, you could still reach the final battle."

Psyduck took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and fell on the ground, fast asleep. His body became fully healed.

Giovanni slammed his right fist onto his armchair's right armrest. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Well, it's not against the rules, is it?" Mewtwo said.

Giovanni sighed. "Rest is perfectly within the rules, yes." Then he scowled. "It's just that you're prolonging the inevitable. Nidoking! Thunder!"

Nidoking launched another powerful lightning bolt, hurting Psyduck again.

"Psyduck! Use hydro pump!"

Psyduck continued to sleep, deaf to Mewtwo's order.

"What?! Why aren't you attacking? You proved to be perfectly capable of doing it while you've battled me!"

"Psy duck."

"Sleep talk?"

"Psy."

"It's my turn," Giovanni said. "Nidoking! Thunder!"

Nidoking was too busy trying to regain its balance. It fell on its right side and hurt itself.

"Psyduck! Use sleep talk!" Mewtwo ordered.

Psyduck healed again.

"I'm not sure that's what we needed right now," Mewtwo said.

It was Giovanni's turn. "Nidoking! Thunder! Now!"

Nidoking got back on its feet, but the dizziness didn't allow it to maintain its balance. It fell face first onto the ground.

"Stupid pokémon!" Giovanni said.

Mewtwo's turn came. "Psyduck! Use sleep talk again!"

Psyduck's body glowed bright white, a sign that his attack power increased.

Giovanni showed his gritted teeth as he glared at the camera. "Nidoking! Use thunder already, you idiot!"

Nidoking regained its balance and successfully launched thunder at Psyduck, but it seemed to affect the duck pokémon less than last time, barely causing any burn signs.

Mewtwo hoped Psyduck would choose an attack next. "Psyduck! Sleep talk!"

Psyduck woke up, feeling stronger than ever. Unfortunately, he was no longer asleep, and thus he could not use sleep talk. His turn had to be skipped.

"Now that you've snapped out of confusion, use thunder again on it, Nidoking! Let's end this now!"

Nidoking heard Giovanni's order and attacked, but Psyduck jumped out of the way of the lightning bolt.

"That stupid duck keeps ruining everything!" Giovanni said, slamming his fist onto the armrest again.

"It's your time to shine, Psyduck!" Mewtwo said. "Hydro pump!"

Psyduck opened his mouth and spat out a powerful jet of water that struck the already weakened Nidoking in the chest, knocking it unconscious. Giovanni was forced to call his pokémon back.

"Send the last one and let's settle this once and for all," Mewtwo told the Team Rocket leader.

Giovanni sighed. He looked to his left. "Persian? Here, kitty, kitty!"

"Sian!" his persian said as it entered the screen and put its paws onto its master's lap.

Giovanni brought a poké ball out of his chest pocket. "No matter what happens, know that I will be proud of you. Our opponent is a strong one. Give it all you got. Now, get in your ball!"

Persian turned into red light and entered the ball, which was then taken to a place off screen by Giovanni. After a few beeps sounded off, the boss returned to his chair and said to Mewtwo, "I have sent my prized pokémon over. I do not care about the others I've used, but this one … I have a soft spot for him."

Mewtwo could not help but smile. "So, you're not so cold-hearted after all. If only you could share some of that love with the rest of your team, maybe you'd be a better trainer."

"I am a gym leader! I am way above the rank of a mere trainer! Persian! Go and show them what I've taught you!"

Persian materialized on the battlefield.

"That overconfidence might lead to your downfall," Mewtwo said while waving his tail gently. "I'd be careful if I were you."

"Less talk, more battle! Persian! Thunder!"

The red orb on Persian's forehead glowed bright yellow before launching a giant lightning bolt. It hit Psyduck, but did even less damage than the thunder used by Nidoking. It also happened to paralyze Psyduck, making it difficult for him to move.

"Psyduck! Use hydro pump!"

Psyduck could not follow Mewtwo's order. His muscles were too cramped up.

Giovanni was grinning with confidence. "Persian, hit it with thunder again!"

Persian fired another lightning bolt, but Psyduck managed to get out of the attack's way by rolling over.

"Just give up already," Giovanni said. "One more hit and Psyduck's out."

"We're not giving up!" Mewtwo told him. "Psyduck! Use calm mind!"

Psyduck's body glowed bright white, his power and endurance increasing further. He felt so strong that he could … "Psy-yyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" His body glowed bright blue and gained almost twice in height. His head grew four spikes on its back and a red gemstone on the forehead. His cream-colored beak became pointier, and his eyes gained crimson pupils. His limbs became longer and their claws were sharper, more exposed. The webbing between each limb's fingers were the same color as his beak. Even his tail became longer. When the light completely faded out, his skin was revealed to be blue.

"Psyduck! You evolved!" Mewtwo said.

"Golduck!"

"Right. I'll call you that from now on."

"Oh, please no ..." Giovanni said. "Can things get any worse than this?"

"It's your turn, Giovanni! Golduck and I are waiting."

"Persian … we need to use something that hits with high accuracy. Use power gem!"

Persian obeyed Giovanni's order and fired a red and white beam of light at Golduck. It wasn't enough to knock Golduck out.

"It's our turn. Golduck! Hydro pump!"

Golduck spat out a powerful jet of water, throwing Persian all the way to the edge of the arena in front of the monitor. Persian got up and shook his body to remove some water out of his fur.

"Persian! Use shadow claw!"

Persian's right paw gained a black and purple aura as it jumped at Golduck and delivered a scratch with the power of ghost types. Golduck was still standing, although badly wounded since his physical defense had not gone up like his special defense.

"Golduck! Use rest to recover!" Mewtwo ordered.

Golduck closed his eyes and fell on his back, falling asleep and recovering completely.

Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled. "I think I know how this ends. Might as well put this move to good use."

Mewtwo worried about those words. He could not read Giovanni's mind through the monitor, so he had no idea what the criminal leader had up his sleeve. Mewtwo refused to believe this was going to be a fair fight.

"Persian … Use pay day."

Persian stood on his hind legs and crossed his arms then opened them to throw yellow glowing, flat, oval objects at Golduck. The objects solidified and looked like the gold thing Mewtwo saw on Meowth's forehead.

"If you win this battle, you can keep those," Giovanni said to Mewtwo. "They are worth a lot of money."

"Alright, Golduck! Let's win this! Sleep talk!"

Golduck managed to successfully execute hydro pump while sleeping. It was so strong that Persian could not evade it nor endure it.

After his pokémon fainted, Giovanni said, "Come back, Persian. You did well."

Persian retreated into his poké ball and then was sent back to his master, who went to take the ball and held it in his hands.

"We did it, Golduck! We won!" Mewtwo said, hugging a sleeping Golduck.

"Congratulations!" That did not come from Giovanni, but from Meowth.

Team Rocket's leader was still at a loss for words. A frown could be seen on his face.

"Well, Giovanni?" Mewtwo said. "What nasty surprises do you have in store for me? I know you won't–"

Giovanni smiled at the camera. "Well done, Mewtwo. You deserve the earth badge. Agents? Can one of you give Mewtwo his prize?"

A drop of sweat fell down Mewtwo's forehead. He was sure something bad was going to happen. There was no way that Giovanni would just let him enjoy the victory just like that.

Meowth stepped forward. "I'll get it!"

Mewtwo watched him with squinted eyes. _Of course that traitor's going to trap me.  
_  
A few seconds later, Meowth returned from behind the desk and brought a green piece of metal that looked like a leaf or some kind of plant. He handed it over to Mewtwo. "This is the earth badge. Take good care of it!"

"Thanks, I guess," was all that Mewtwo managed to say. His golduck returned into his poké ball.

Giovanni did something off screen and then went back to the camera. "Attention all Team Rocket agents! From this day forward, Team Rocket is no more. You are to allow Mewtwo to set free all of the captive pokémon we have at our headquarters, as well as all of the stolen pokémon you have used. It has been a pleasure – mostly – working with you all. I hope you can find better jobs."

"Am I dreaming?" Mewtwo asked, raising his left eyebrow.

"Furthermore ..." Giovanni continued. "Jessie, James, Meowth? You three can take over my gym if you want. Use those five pokémon I have left there, or even use your own if you plan to change the theme of the gym. I am resigning from the gym leader position too. I need to go out in the world and do some soul searching."

"We'll be gym leaders?!" Jessie said, a smile appearing on her lips.

"For real?!" James asked.

Meowth hopped around. "Yay! We can finally make money legally!"

"Mewtwo … I am glad that something great came out of what I've funded," Giovanni said. "Go to the Indigo Plateau Conference and show them what you're capable of! Farewell." He pushed a button that was out of view, and the screen went black.

Mewtwo could only stare blankly. "I can't believe this just happened."

Meowth stood next to him with his hands behind his head. "Well, the boss was already losing the respect of most of his employees. There was no way for him to salvage what remained of his dignity after being defeated by a pokémon."

The genetic pokémon remained silent, letting it all sink in. Team Rocket … was no more.

"So, um ..." Meowth said, breaking the silence, "what are ya gonna do next?"

Mewtwo snapped out of his trance. "I … I want to go visit my birthplace."

▶ **To be continued.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: The Survivor**

A growlithe with yellow fur and black stripes whined miserably while looking at the glass panels that surrounded it and limited its freedom. To its right was another glass cage that contained an eevee. Stacked above its cage was another enclosure that had a seel. All three pokémon cheered up when they saw Mewtwo approach them.

"Be free, my fellow pokémon!" Mewtwo said while using his psychic power to tear away the doors of the cages. The creatures jumped out and made sounds that he could tell were of joy.

Officer Jenny came to retrieve the freed pokémon. "Now there are only three more left."

Jessie arrived holding a struggling raichu in her arms. It zapped her, causing her to throw it on the ground near the police officer. "Electric pokémon can be so annoying!"

"I think they are actually great," James said while playing with a levitating, ball-shaped, cream, one-eyed pokémon that had two screws on the bottom and one at the top. It also had a pair of gray U-shaped magnets with black tips. "Look at this cute magnemite! It likes to make me try to catch it."

Meowth was chased around by an eevee that kept trying to bite his tail. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

"Growlithe! Round up the pokémon!" Jenny ordered.

Her growlithe barked at the three pokémon brought by the Rocket Trio and guided them toward her.

"How come only those other four Team Rocket employees got arrested while Jessie, James, and Meowth get to be free?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well, you see ..." James said.

Meowth continued with what James wanted to say. "We got caught some time ago and we paid our fines. We didn't steal anything recently, so they're letting us off the hook this time because we helped them find the hidden cages."

Mewtwo shrugged. "Fair enough." He looked at the happy pokémon that were around Officer Jenny. That made him smile. "My work here is done. Now it is time for me to pay a visit to Cinnabar Island." His body glowed bright white, then he disappeared.

* * *

In the abandoned mansion on Cinnabar Island, everything remained exactly the way Mewtwo left it, but with more dust that had settled all over. The shards of glass from the tubes in which pokémon had once grown were still scattered on the floor. Inside the only intact large tube, the bony remains of the shelled pokémon rested. The liquid only filled half the tube.

A bouquet of white flowers was placed at the tube's base by a slightly overweight human dressed in a dull green uniform with an explorer hat. Mewtwo observed from the shadows, behind the person, trying to figure out who he was dealing with.

The human's voice was a deep male one and said, "You poor little guy. Starved to death in this wretched place." He had another bouquet that he placed while kneeling near some other skeletal remains that were close to a broken tube. "And you … Bulbasaurtwo … You had a rude awakening, and that was your only experience in life before you went."

Getting up, he walked toward another tube that was intact but three times smaller than the others, on a desk and hooked up to a damaged computer. There was a yellow straw hat with a red ribbon placed next to the tube. Leaning against the tube there was a grayscale photo of a man, a woman, and a little girl holding what seemed to be the same hat. The guy with the flowers placed a bouquet in front of the tube. "Ambertwo … I wonder how you would have turned out to be if the attack hadn't happened. Rest in peace, along with Squirtletwo and Bulbasaurtwo."

"You!" Mewtwo said, revealing himself from behind a dried up potted tree.

The man turned around. His face was covered by a round, white mask with two oval eye holes and a big painted grin. "Oh, you came back!" he said. Then he changed his voice from deep to high pitched. "Look at you! You have grown so much!"

Mewtwo recognized that voice, raised his right arm, and used his psychic power to pin the man to a wall next to the desk. "You are one of the scientists who sold me to Team Rocket!"

"A-actually," the man said, in his deep voice, "I was trying to convince Doctor Fuji to take all of the clones and disappear off the radar."

"Who is Doctor Fuji? Tell me everything!"

The man slowly took off his mask, revealing his face. He had a scar that went from the right side of his forehead all the way to the base of his nose, and was so thick that it reached from his nose bridge to the corner of his right eye. He was fortunate enough to still retain his eyesight in both of his green eyes. His hair was short and brown. A fluffy beard covered all of his chin and jawline. "First, I must tell you that I am Kohaku Takahashi, and was once part of Doctor Fuji's expedition team that retrieved the mew fossil from which you were cloned. I am not a scientist. Now, about Doctor Fuji … He wasn't a bad man."

Mewtwo raised his right arm further and telekinetically lifted Kohaku higher on the wall. "Are you sure? Selling pokémon to the boss of a criminal organization sure sounds like something a bad person would do."

"Look at that picture on the desk. Do you see that little girl?"

Mewtwo looked. "Who is she?"

"Amber. Doctor Fuji's daughter. She died several years before he started his cloning experiments. After many clones of pokémon had died, he finally managed to create a batch that seemed strong enough to survive. You were among those clones. Feeling confident, he decided to use the DNA he had extracted from a hair of Amber's. He created … Ambertwo. She was going to be a perfect copy, if his theories were true regarding DNA retaining some memory of its original host."

"So … he did not stop at cloning pokémon. He was going to do this with humans too."

"Doctor Fuji loved Amber very much, so he stopped at nothing to try and bring her back. Even his wife left him, but he still continued his experiments and made a deal with Giovanni so that he could get enough funds. He was going to move Ambertwo to a tank like yours, so that she'd grow faster. Unfortunately, some of his failed mew cloning experiments – the ditto – came back for revenge … They turned into gyarados and trashed the lab, damaging the computer that was keeping Ambertwo alive. Few of them disguised themselves as some of our scientists and lured them into traps. Doctor Fuji fell for it too, and a ditto-turned-gyarados annihilated him with a hyper beam. Another such creature tried to do the same with me. I've been disfigured, but at least I lived to tell the tale and swam away to Pallet Town."

Mewtwo gently lowered Kohaku until the guy was back standing on the floor. "A friend of mine said he saw a woman who had washed ashore. That woman seemed to fear that another human was … 'one of them'. Do you think she was talking about the ditto?"

"That might have been Hana, one of Doctor Fuji's scientists. The last time I saw her, she was being chased by a ditto disguised as a man from the scientists' team. She might have managed to escape. I'll have to search for her at Pallet Town's hospital."

Mewtwo looked around. "What's going to happen to this place?"

"Well, nobody lives here anymore, so … they might demolish the mansion."

"But … then I won't have a house!"

Kohaku rubbed his chin. "However, since this is where the famous Mewtwo was born, I think they might actually deem it a national treasure. If you manage to become champion of the Indigo Pokémon League, it would guarantee that this place will be kept intact."

"So, you know about my quest to become a pokémon master."

Kohaku let out a hearty laugh. "Almost everybody in Kanto knows about you! It's not everyday that you see a powerful pokémon who trains other pokémon. News travels fast around here." After a moment of silence, he remembered something. "Hey, could I see Charles? The last time I saw him face to face, he was a tiny charmander fetus that Doctor Fuji called Charmandertwo."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Mewtwo said. "Because of the memories he has from the original charmander, he might try to burn you for all of the torture that charmander had been put through."

"He can't remember me; I've never met the original. Please, I want to see him!"

"Alright," Mewtwo said. He used psychic to bring out the poké ball. "Charles! Come out!"

Charles popped out of the ball and materialized in front of Kohaku, being equal in height to him.

"He's grown so big!" Kohaku said. "You two are about the same size."

Mewtwo realized, for the first time, that he too had grown a lot. When Charles had evolved into charizard, he towered over Mewtwo, but now they could literally see eye to eye.

Charles sniffed Kohaku and just let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils before roaming the lab to reminisce about his short childhood as a charmander.

"About that mew ..." Mewtwo said while focusing his attention on Kohaku again. "Does it look just like me? If so, why don't I have stripes like Charles has? Even Squirtletwo's shell seems to have some markings."

"You are a special case," Kohaku said. "Giovanni didn't just want a powerful pokémon. He wanted it to also be intelligent. So, how do I put this … Giovanni's DNA is responsible for your human side."

Mewtwo's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "What?!"

"Doctor Fuji's theory was that DNA contains some knowledge of its former owner. He hoped that, through cloning, he could bring back his daughter exactly as she was before her death – memories and all. Giovanni wanted a pokémon that had his cunning mind and part of his human strength to add to mew's natural psychic power. He wanted the ultimate fighting machine."

"Now I know why my pokédex referred to me as a 'fighting machine'," Mewtwo said while slowly waving his tail. "What does this mew pokémon look like?"

Kohaku took a few seconds to remember the details. "Well, there is no photographic proof of mew. All we had to go by was a stone carving made by an ancient civilization for their shrine dedicated to the mythical pokémon. Mew might look like a smaller version of you, but with a thinner tail and shorter arms, and smaller ears. A Team Rocket agent claimed to have caught the cry of mew on an audio recording, but we can't be sure it truly belonged to it. So we had to make do with the mew eyelash fossil we've recovered from the shrine. And now … here you are."

"Yes. Here I am."

"Are you here only to visit your birthplace? Or do you have plans of winning another badge?"

Mewtwo used his psychic power to bring out all eight of his badges from his backpack. "I'm already set for the Indigo Plateau Conference. However, I think challenging the Cinnabar Gym would help my team gain more experience and prepare before the Victory Road challenge starts."

Kohaku smiled. "Well then, let me take you to Blaine. He's been my friend for many decades, but I wonder what he'll say when he'll see me ..." he put his right hand over his face's scar, "… like this."

"If he's your friend," Mewtwo said, "I think you've got nothing to worry about."

* * *

"How could you work for the boss of Team Rocket?!" A bald man with black glasses, no eyebrow hair, and a white mustache shouted at Kohaku. He wore a white coat over a blue shirt, with a red tie that had a yellow flame shape at its tip. His pants were of a light-brown color.

"I-I had to put food on the table, Blaine," Kohaku said. "I'm sorry. Also, I like going on expeditions, and this project was _huge_! It was about mew! You _know_ how much I love the legends about it!"

Blaine scowled at him. "Have you _any_ idea what could have happened if Giovanni had gotten Mewtwo under his command?"

"That would have been Doctor Fuji's fault."

"No, you idiot! That would have been the fault of all of you who had helped with the project!"

Kohaku flinched after hearing that.

Mewtwo butted in. "But everything turned out fine, so … please stop yelling at him, Mister Blaine!"

Blaine turned to look at Mewtwo, those round, black lenses staring dead while the man's fleshy eyebrows were furrowed above them. "Everything turned out fine, huh?" He stared for almost half a minute at the trainer pokémon until speaking again. "What was Professor Oak thinking when he allowed you to become an official trainer?"

Mewtwo's expression turned serious while he held his right fist in front of his chest. "Sir, I'm willing to prove my worth as a trainer in battle, if you would allow me to challenge this gym!" He pointed at the building that had cracked walls and wooden planks all over them. Its roof was dark blue, seemingly still intact. At that moment, the entire gym ended up leaning to the right and gaining more cracks.

"You are seeking a dinosaur, yet you've found a fossil," Blaine said.

Mewtwo tilted his head to the right. "What?"

"Oh! I know what he means!" Kohaku said. "The gym is no longer active. But … why?"

"It's been ten years," Blaine told him. "Ten years since more than one trainer came here. The last trainer to have challenged this gym came here three years ago. Since then, only tourists have been coming to this island, ruining the environment and having absolutely no interest in pokémon!" He sighed. "Now my pokémon and I have to farm to earn a living."

Mewtwo's eyes glowed bright blue as he looked into Blaine's mind. "You have another gym. You haven't completely given up on being a gym leader."

Blaine pointed at him. "Even if I still have hopes of getting trainers to visit it, that doesn't mean I'm going to accept your challenge!"

"Why not?"

"Becoming the Indigo League champion means gaining a lot of monetary power. I've seen two champions of the past become Kanto's most wanted criminals, and they used powerful psychic pokémon. Since you are the most powerful of all known pokémon ... if you became corrupted by fame and wealth, you might gather an army of pokémon and conquer all of humankind!"

Mewtwo scowled. "No, Mister Blaine. I have no intentions of enslaving humans. I do not want to turn the tables. I merely seek a balance between human and pokémon rights. If I win the tournament, it would prove to the world how anyone could make it to the top as long as they work with their team."

Blaine crossed his arms at the chest. "That's a nice speech, but I'm not letting you challenge this gym. I cannot trust you. And without eight badges, you cannot enter the tournament."

With a sheepish grin, Mewtwo said, "I hate to break it to you, but … I already have eight badges."

The old man almost lost his balance. "Huh?! You … you've managed to gather all eight badges?!"

"Yes. I don't need the badge. I came here to learn from you. If you refuse to accept my challenge, I'll ask someone else to train me."

Blaine shook his head. "I do not want to train a future tyrant."

Mewtwo let his tail rest on the ground. "Before I leave, please tell me: how many of the human champions didn't become criminals?"

The old man thought for a moment. "Ninety four. Your point is?"

"If only two out of ninety six human champions have taken the path of crime, what makes you think that pokémon have a higher chance of becoming criminals when you haven't seen a trainer one before?"

"Your power, like I've said before. A human is limited by physical strength and intelligence, and most of their pokémon can be countered."

"I'm a psychic type! I've had my tail handed to me by Team Rocket several times because they've used dark types on me! Also, you're wrong about human limits too! What about Sabrina? How do you explain her not going on a rampage? Surely she must have at least _some_ self-control, because if she didn't, she'd be ruling over Kanto by now!"

"Uh … Well …"

"Come on, Mister Blaine! Admit it! You just want to avoid dealing with the unknown. Much like how other people avoided getting to know Sabrina for who she really is. You wanted new challengers for _years_ , and when one comes up to you, you decline their request for a battle because … you're scared!"

That reignited Blaine's spirit. "I'll show you who's scared! We shall battle in my new gym, where no firefighter stands a chance!"

"He means in the volcano," Kohaku said.

Blaine gave him a nasty look. "Stop ruining my riddles!"

Mewtwo smiled with confidence. "I could have just read your mind to find your gym's location anyway. Let's go there! My pokémon and I will give it all we got!"

* * *

Blaine led Mewtwo and Kohaku to the hot springs in front of the volcano. A statue of a gyarados' head and neck mounted onto a large rock poured the boiling water into the lake below. Blaine pushed the statue down, and the rock lowered itself a bit. A larger rock to its right started moving while destroying the wooden fence that split the lake in half. Behind that rock, there was a cave that led into the volcano. "This way," Blaine said as he entered the tunnel.

Mewtwo and Kohaku followed him, walking down stairs made of warm rock. Only candles fitted into cubic openings in the wall lit the path to a metal gate.

Mewtwo looked around. "The heat is … increasing. Why?"

"We're inside a volcano," Blaine said, visibly annoyed by Mewtwo's ignorance. "Do you expect it to get progressively cold when there's a pool of lava at its center?"

"Sorry, sir. I've never seen a volcano before."

Blaine took a small, white remote from his coat's right pocket. He pushed the red button on its center. The gate opened in response, revealing the red hot molten lava above which an arena battlefield made of rock was held by four chains that connected to its corners.

Mewtwo's mouth remained open as he took in what was before him. "Our pokemon will battle _there_?!"

Blaine smirked at him. "Scared already, Mewtwo?"

"Absolutely not! Well … I am a bit concerned for the safety of my pokémon, but I can just lift them up in case they risk falling into the … That's the lava, isn't it?"

"Yes, that is the lava. Your pokémon may be safe from falling into it due to your psychic powers, but the heat will surely make them sweat." After going to the opposite end of the battlefield, Blaine brought out his first poké ball from his coat's left pocket. "We'll go all out. Up to six pokémon. My first one will be … Ninetales! Go!"

Ninetales formed in the air, its nine long tails waving until the creature landed on its four feet. Its fur was pale yellow with orange tips at the tails. The pokémon's red eyes gave it a cunning air while the hair crest on its head made it look elegant.

Mewtwo brought out the pokédex to analyze it. The device said, "Ninetales, the fox pokémon. It is the evolved form of vulpix. Its type is: fire. It is said that this pokémon–" He closed it before it could begin spewing more information, then he exchanged it with a poké ball from the backpack. "I think I can safely pick a water type. Go, Golduck!"

Golduck materialized on the battlefield. He looked around and saw the red light and felt the intense heat. "Duuuuck!"

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Mewtwo said.

"Let us begin," Blaine said. "Ninetales! Energy ball!"

Ninetales formed an orb of green light in its mouth and fired it at Golduck, sending him flying all the way to the edge of the battlefield. Golduck got back on his feet, but the skin on his arms and chest felt sore. "Gol-ol!"

"Golduck! Retaliate with hydro pump!"

Golduck heard Mewtwo's order and released the water jet from his mouth, successfully striking Ninetales with it. It wasn't enough to win the round, but some progress was made.

It was Blaine's turn. "Ninetales! Energy ball again!"

Golduck tried to avoid the attack, but he still got his back hit and fell flat on his face.

"Hang on, Golduck! One more hydro pump and Ninetales will be down!"

Mewtwo's pokémon got back up and spat out the powerful jet, knocking Ninetales out.

"It's not over yet," Blaine said. "Ninetales! Come back! Arcanine! Go!"

Arcanine came out of its ball and roared. Golduck was intimidated by the majestic canine.

"I teach my pokémon moves that cover their weaknesses. Your golduck doesn't stand a chance against what I've prepared. Arcanine! Wild charge!"

"Arc!" Arcanine said as it jumped at Golduck. A golden aura surrounded Arcanine's body while sparks went flying all around it. The collision between the two pokémon resulted in Golduck being knocked out.

Mewtwo retrieved him and summoned his next pokémon. "Charles! I choose you!"

Charles came out of his ball and spread his wings out while growling.

"Charles! Dig!"

Charles dug a hole through the ground. Fortunately, the arena's rocky floor was thick enough to allow him room to shift around and position himself under the confused arcanine. He burst out and knocked the opponent to the side, but the fight wasn't over.

"Arcanine! Hit him with wild charge!"

Charles managed to avoid the attack by flying out of Arcanine's way.

"Charles! Earthquake!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles flew high and then landed heavily onto the ground, shaking the arena. Arcanine fainted.

Blaine recalled his arcanine, then brought out its replacement. "Go, Rhydon!"

"Oh, it's like the one Giovanni used in the gym battle," Mewtwo said.

Blaine's eyebrows were raised way above his glasses. "You've fought him?"

"I even won the earth badge and made Giovanni disband Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket has been disbanded?!"

With half-closed eyes, Mewtwo asked, "You don't follow the news, huh?"

Blaine stomped the ground. "I was busy tending to the burnt berries!"

"That explains it. Anyway, it's your turn."

"Damn right it is! Rhydon! Smack down!"

Charles tried to fly out of the way, but Rhydon put its hands forward, forming a golden glowing orb that struck Charles in the left wing and exploded, grounding the charizard.

"Charles! Earthquake!" Mewtwo ordered. It wasn't going to win him the battle, but at least Rhydon would be weakened enough for his next pokémon to deal with it easier.

Charles jumped. The effect of smack down did not allow him to fly anymore, but he reached a sufficiently high altitude to cause an earthquake strong enough to affect Rhydon, who wrapped its arms around itself due to the pain caused by the vibrations.

"Rhydon! Show him a real earthquake!"

Rhydon jumped high and let its heavy body make a powerful landing that shook the battlefield hard enough to make the chains swing.

Charles tried to get back on his feet, but his energy was too low. He fell on the ground, unconscious, and was recalled by Mewtwo.

"The score is 2 to 2 so far," Blaine said. "It could turn either way at this point."

"Well, I've got something for your ground-rock type! Go, Eggs!"

"Eggs!" the exeggutor said while coming out.

Blaine adjusted his glasses. "An Alolan exeggutor. This might get interesting."

"Eggs! Power whip!" Mewtwo ordered.

Eggs proceeded to hit the rhydon with his long, purple whip. Rhydon was clearly in pain as it was rolling on the ground.

"Rhydon! Pull yourself together and use megahorn!"

Rhydon got up and made its horn shine bright white as it lunged for its opponent. Eggs was hit hard in the chest, nearly collapsing.

"A bug attack," Mewtwo said. "That did quite some damage, but Eggs still has enough energy to fight back. Right, Eggs?"

"Eggs!"

"Then show him the wood hammer!"

Eggs' leaves glowed bright green as he smacked Rhydon over the head with his own head – or group of heads. Rhydon fainted.

"That's 3 to 2 for you," Blaine said. "Rhydon, come back! Rapidash! Go!"

Rapidash came out. It was a hoofed quadruped with cream fur, red eyes, a cream horn on its forehead, a long snout, two short ears, and a mane and tail made of red and yellow flames. Similar flames adorned Rapidash's lower legs.

"I'm guessing it's a simple fire type," Mewtwo said, not wanting to waste time with the pokédex again.

"That it is," Blaine told him. "But it too can be dangerous to your exeggutor, because you have no defense against bug attacks. Rapidash! Megahorn!"

Eggs got hit in the chest by Rapidash's glowing horn. He felt the pain as he collapsed, but his will was too strong. He used his tail to help himself get back on his feet, then faced his opponent again. His breathing intensified.

"Eggs! Use outrage!" Mewtwo ordered.

The eyes on all of Eggs' heads glowed bright red as the exeggutor charged at Rapidash and struck it repeatedly with his tail and leafed top.

"Rapidash! Megahorn!"

Rapidash stabbed Eggs again, this time knocking him out.

"That's 3 to 3. Let's see what else you've got, Mewtwo."

"Buzz! Go!" Mewtwo said. His beedrill came out ready to fight.

"You're pitting a bug type against a fire type?"

"I'm trying to set something up," Mewtwo said. He hoped it would work. "Buzz! Sludge bomb!"

Buzz fired the purple sludge out of his needles and landed it on the rapidash's face. The opponent started feeling nauseous and having trouble standing on its legs.

"Hit the beedrill with your flamethrower, Rapidash!"

Rapidash did as his master ordered, the jet of fire landing a hit on Buzz and sending him tumbling on fire.

"Hang on there, Buzz!" Mewtwo said. "Sludge bomb one more time!"

Buzz fired another round of sludge and landed the hit. Rapidash could no longer bear the poison's effects, so it collapsed and got recalled by Blaine.

"The score is 4 to 3 for you. But I'm bringing in the big one now. Magmar! Get over here!"

On Blaine's order, a pokémon made entirely out of red and yellow flames came out of the lava below and landed onto the battlefield. Magmar looked like a cross-breed between a golduck and a charizard, much shorter than Mewtwo's Golduck and grumpier in appearance than him thanks to the two protrusions on its forehead. These extensions were the roots of its two flaming horns. Its back had a row of four red spikes, and its long tail ended in a flame. Its hands had five claws while its feet had two. A black band covered Magmar's neck as well as the lower part of each of the creature's two legs.

"Magmar! Fire blast!"

Magmar launched the attack, but Buzz managed to fly out of its way.

It was Mewtwo's turn. "Buzz! Hit Magmar with toxic so we can set up for Vixie!"

Buzz threw purple jets of sludge out of his needles. The poison was so concentrated that it immediately caused Magmar trouble with standing.

"Magmar! Fire blast!"

The attack hit Buzz this time, but it still didn't knock him out.

"I see your beedrill has been through a lot of training," Blaine said. "It displays impressive endurance for a runt."

"Wait until you see his strength at its fullest. Buzz! Outrage!"

Buzz heard Mewtwo's order and emitted the red aura as his eyes also turned red. He flew at Magmar's head and stung away at it. He did not care that Magmar's flame body burned him. The fury blinded him to the pain.

Blaine had to put a stop to the beedrill's attack. "Magmar! Flamethrower!"

The jet of fire hit Buzz and sent him flying off the battlefield. Mewtwo caught him with his psychic power and recalled him before the pokémon could get too close to the lava.

"Now it's 4 to 4," Blaine said.

"Not for long. Vixie! I choose you!"

Vixie came out with sparks emitting from her spiky fur. "Jolt! Jolt!"

"Let's finish what Buzz started. Vixie! Thunderbolt!"

Vixie charged up her fur and shot a bolt of lightning at Magmar. Coupled with the poison, the hit was enough to knock it out.

Blaine sighed. "We're at 5 to 4 for you. But there is one last hurdle you must pass. Magmar, come back! Flareon! Go!"

"Flare!" his flareon said as it formed on the battlefield.

"This is going to be great!" Mewtwo said. "An eevee evolution against another eevee evolution!"

"Yes, and neither of them has the upper hand when it comes to their specialty. Let's see where this goes. Flareon! Flare blitz!"

Flareon summoned orange flames around its body and charged at Vixie, striking her head on.

"Vixie! Use thunder!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie summoned a powerful lightning bolt, but Flareon avoided it.

"Our turn now! Flareon! Flare blitz!"

Flareon covered itself in fire again and charged. The attack landed, knocking Vixie to the ground.

"Vixie! Can you still battle?"

Vixie got back up and looked at Mewtwo before nodding. "Jolt! Jolt!"

"Alright. Let's try this again. Thunder!"

Vixie attacked. This time she landed the hit and managed to paralyze Flareon.

"Flareon! Use flare blitz!"

The fiery pokémon tried to charge at Vixie, but its muscles were too stiffened. The attack failed.

"Another thunder, Vixie!"

"Jol!" Vixie said as she launched the lightning bolt at the opponent and hit it.

Flareon still managed to stand, although its fur was mostly covered in soot.

"Flareon! Flare blitz!" Blaine ordered.

This time his pokémon managed to charge, engulfed by flames. It landed the hit on Vixie and, although it wasn't enough to knock her out, it set her fur on fire.

"Oh, no!" Mewtwo said. "She's burning!"

Blaine chuckled. "Did you think you could play with fire and not get burned?"

Vixie rolled on the ground, hoping to get rid of the flames, but the fire kept burning on her back. She panicked. "Jololololol!"

"We can do this, Vixie! Use thunder again!" Mewtwo said. He hoped the attack would land.

Vixie charged up the attack and sent the lightning bolt toward Flareon, who could not avoid it due to its paralysis. Flareon fainted.

The fire continued to burn on Vixie's back. Since she was already very weakened, she fainted too.

"You did well, Vixie. Come back!" Mewtwo said, retrieving her with the ball.

"Well, I'm out of pokémon and you still have one," Blaine said. "You've won the badge."

"Mister Blaine … I can't accept the badge yet."

Blaine walked to the other side of the arena, where his opponent stood. "Why not? Oh, I get it! You're still mad because I refused your challenge at first."

Mewtwo shook his head. "That's not it. The sixth pokémon on my team … is me."

Blaine flinched. "What?!"

"I had to capture myself in order to block Team Rocket from capturing me. I probably count as a usable pokémon, but this was more about testing the strength of my team. This battle has shown me that we have much to learn."

"I see," Blaine said.

Mewtwo reached out for him. "Can you train us? Please! We need to prepare for the Indigo Plateau!"

The old man stared at Mewtwo for a few seconds. "I guess I … could train you. I just hope this won't come back to haunt me if you end up in a fight against humans."

"I've trained under Sabrina. Trust me, if I wanted to start trouble, I'd be out there sending people flying. I just want to improve my team's skills."

Blaine turned to face his friend. "What do you say, Kohaku?"

"I say you should train them. If Mewtwo causes any trouble, scorch me if you want. I'm the only one left to take the blame."

▶ **To be continued.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Victory Road**

During the entire remaining month before the Indigo Plateau tournament, Mewtwo and his team underwent intensive training guided by gym leader Blaine.

One of the exercises involved carrying a giant boulder all the way to the top of the volcano while walking up a rocky path. For this type of training, Mewtwo chose Charles and Eggs, the latter holding the boulder atop his head leaves. Mewtwo also carried a boulder, not only to improve his physical strength, but also to show support for his pokémon.

Blaine was in front carrying a slightly smaller boulder, being followed by his magmar who carried too. He looked behind to see what Mewtwo and the rest were doing. "Keep going! We're almost there."

Mewtwo was panting, but he trusted his legs to not give up on him. "Charles, Eggs, how are you two doing?"

"Zararar ..." Charles said, huffing while struggling with holding the boulder. His legs hurt, and he feared that he might fall and roll down the slope along with the boulder.

Eggs surpassed Charles, sporting large grins on all three of his top faces. "Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs!" He even went past Mewtwo and Magmar, but could not catch up to Blaine.

"At least _someone_ is enjoying this," Mewtwo said as sweat poured down his face.

* * *

Another training exercise involved using flamethrower to destroy rocks that were being placed on wooden pedestals. Charles, Eggs, Magmar, Flareon, Arcanine, and Rhydon participated. Most of the pokémon managed to destroy the rocks without burning the pedestals, but Charles burned the pedestal's top while destroying his rock.

Blaine walked up to Mewtwo and said, "Your charizard focuses too much on raw fire power. He needs to control his flamethrower and learn to go for the opponent's weak spots."

Mewtwo nodded. "I'll make sure he understands." He picked up a boulder with his hands and put it atop another wooden pedestal. "Charles, try to restrict your flamethrower to only cover the area of the boulder this time."

Charles blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils and then took in a deep breath.

Mewtwo's jaw dropped. "Oh, no, no, no, n –" He got hit with a scorching hot flamethrower that roasted him, cracked the rock, and burned the pedestal. Fortunately for him, his skin was tough enough to endure the attack. "Now you're asking for it," he said while his eyes glowed bright blue.

Charles found himself shrouded in a blue aura and being lifted into the air. With some waving of his trainer's right hand, Charles got spun around over and over for a few seconds before being dropped onto the ground.

With a grin on his face, Mewtwo said, "I'm way more skilled than I was back in the days when you used to disrespect me. Now let's get it right this time." He used his psychic powers to put another boulder onto an unburnt pedestal, then he pointed at the boulder. "Focus on the rock and use flamethrower on it."

Charles got back on his feet and gave a nasty look to Mewtwo, but then he turned around to face the boulder. He took in air and let out a thin flamethrower that hit the center of the rock, cracking it.

"Good job!" Mewtwo said, smiling at his charizard.

* * *

For Vixie, training involved following Arcanine's example of using wild charge to ram an opponent while wielding the power of lightning. Blaine's Rhydon volunteered to be the moving target in the arena since it was immune to electric attacks. Vixie had little difficulty learning the attack, with the only problem being a mild headache that made her rub her forehead.

"She'll get used to it," Blaine said while looking at her. "She may take some recoil damage, but this is a powerful physical attack and should be used wisely."

Mewtwo nodded. "It will be good to have when we get to the Indigo Plateau."

* * *

"Today Magmar is here to teach you a special fighting type move called focus blast," Blaine said while standing in front of some piled up rocks that were the size of watermelons. His magmar stood to his right.

Mewtwo, Golduck, and Charles were present and listening. They watched as Magmar took a few steps away from the rock pile before putting its hands forward. A blue ball of light formed between its hands and was fired with such force that all of the rocks in the pile shattered into small pieces after the collision.

"What Magmar did can be performed by many pokémon that are fighting type, psychic type, or have a strong fighting spirit. Your golduck has some psychic potential, your charizard has a strong fighting spirit ..." Blaine pointed at Mewtwo. "And you, being the supposedly most powerful psychic pokémon in the world, should be able to use this attack too."

"So, all I have to do is put my hands forward and–"

Before Mewtwo could finish extending his arms in front of himself, Golduck fired a focus blast sphere at the pile of pebbles, scattering them even more.

"Looks like your golduck is a fast learner," Blaine said.

Charles glared at Golduck and snorted, then he looked for a large rock near the volcano's base. He found one as tall as him and put his arms out. It took him a few seconds to summon the energy needed, but in the end he only managed to form a small blue orb of light between his hands. With a swing of both of his hands, he launched it at the rock and … it only resulted in a small crack. He stared at the rock, confused.

After observing this, Blaine turned to talk to Mewtwo. "Non-psychic and non-fighting types may have some difficulty perfecting this technique. Let's see what you can do."

"Alright," Mewtwo said, stepping toward the big rock that Charles tried to attack. He put his hands forward and spread their fingers out, searching within himself the power he had used when he attacked with brick break. If he could harness that energy and send it out by itself … There it was! A small sphere forming and growing between his palms. It felt hot, and shone bright blue. It grew and grew until it was the size of a beach ball. He launched it at the rock. Right after the explosion from the collision, there was nothing but sand where the rock once stood.

Blaine smiled at him. "You do have a lot of power inside you. But don't let it get to your head."

Mewtwo grinned. "I won't."

* * *

One of the most enjoyed training exercises for Mewtwo and his team was running. Blaine made all of his and Mewtwo's pokémon run three laps around the volcano. Kohaku joined them. He was wearing bandages plastered over most of the right side of his face.

Mewtwo looked at Kohaku while running beside him. "Why are you in this too?"

Kohaku said, "I put on a lot of weight after leaving the island, so I gotta shed a few pounds."

Blaine caught up to them and even surpassed them, smirking. "Come on, you guys are slower than an old man!" He continued to put distance between himself and the other two.

Eggs surpassed Mewtwo and Kohaku too, almost catching up to Blaine.

"Eggs is doing it again," Mewtwo said.

"We'll get better at this with time," Kohaku told him.

For Buzz, the exercise involved flying instead of running, but it was meant to improve his speed anyway. He was just behind Mewtwo, Vixie, and Kohaku, but in front of Charles and Golduck, who were running next to each other while panting.

* * *

Every evening, after intense training sessions, all pokémon, their trainers, as well as Kohaku went into the hot springs to relax and discuss.

"How's the recovery going?" Mewtwo asked Kohaku.

"A few more days and I can take these things off," Kohaku said while pointing at the bandages on his face. "One more week until your training ends, huh?"

"Yes. Then on the last day before the tournament starts I can prepare for the Victory Road journey."

Blaine said, "Make sure to stock up on potions of various types, and don't forget about food. You will be fighting strong wild pokémon as well as other trainers in that cave."

Mewtwo's eyes widened. "Cave?"

"Yes. Victory Road isn't a clean road with sunshine and green grass. It's a dark, damp place with danger lurking at every corner. They do have cameras to supervise the trainers and send in rescue teams in case accidents happen or trainers take things too far, but for the most part you'll have to rely on your team and the supplies you've taken with you."

"Thank you for the advice, Mister Blaine."

The old man smiled. "I'm looking forward to our final battle before we part ways. It will be interesting to see the improvements of your team after the training is complete."

* * *

The final day before the competition arrived, with Blaine and Mewtwo facing off once again at the lava arena. Blaine sent out Rhydon while Mewtwo sent out Charles.

"Rhydon! Smack down!" Blaine ordered.

Rhydon put its hands forward, formed the golden glowing sphere, and threw it at Charles, but missed.

It was Mewtwo's turn. "Charles! Focus blast!"

Charles formed a bright blue sphere of light between his hands and threw it at Rhydon, severely weakening it.

"Rhydon! Try smack down again!"

Rhydon obeyed its master and created a new golden sphere, but after launching the attack, it missed once again. Charles was much faster now, flying with little effort due to having improved his physical shape.

"Charles! Use focus blast again!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles formed another blue sphere of light and sent it at Rhydon, knocking the opponent out.

Blaine recalled Rhydon and prepared his next pokémon. "Go, Rapidash! Use wild charge!"

Rapidash got covered in yellow lightning bolts as it charged at Charles. It landed the hit on Charles' back. That wasn't enough to curb the charizard's will to fight.

"Charles! Dig!"

Charles heard Mewtwo's order and dove into the ground, digging his way under Rapidash and bursting out, defeating the opponent.

"Come back, Rapidash! Go, Ninetales! Use hyper beam!"

Ninetales formed a bright white orb of light in its mouth and fired it as a beam toward Charles, who dodged it.

"Now Ninetales is recovering," Mewtwo said. "Charles! Dig!"

Ninetales was looking around frantically, knowing there was almost nothing it could do. Even Blaine thought there was no point in trying to order it to attack at that moment.

Charles burst from the ground again, hitting Ninetales with the pieces of soil on the way out.

"Ninetales, use dark pulse!" Blaine ordered.

Ninetales fired a beam of dark rings that had a purple glowing aura. The beam hit Charles, but wasn't enough to knock him out.

"Charles! Use fly!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles flew up high, then landed with force on top of Ninetales, knocking it out, causing Blaine to recall it.

"Your charizard became much stronger than the last time we've battled," Blaine said. "Let's see how far he can push. Go, Arcanine! Use wild charge!"

Charles tried to avoid the hit, but Arcanine was too fast and hit him while unleashing the electricity into him. Arcanine sustained some injuries to its forehead due to the recoil.

"We won't give up!" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Earthquake!"

Charles flew up high and landed heavily onto the arena, shaking it so hard that the arcanine could no longer stand on its feet and collapsed, getting knocked out by the shockave.

"Come back, Arcanine! Well done, Mewtwo. You haven't lost a single round so far, and four of my pokémon have fainted. But I'm about to bring in my best ones. First one will be … Magmar! Go!"

Magmar jumped out of the lava and landed onto the platform. "Mar!"

"That charizard is already weakened, so let's ensure victory here. Magmar! Use smog!"

Magmar blew a thick, gray smoke from its mouth. The smog was sent toward Charles, causing the charizard to cough and try to clear it with his wings. The attack left him poisoned, nausea taking over.

"Hang on there, Charles! Let's weaken Magmar so Vixie can take over! Use dig!"

Charles dug into the ground and burst back out hitting Magmar, dealing lots of damage to it. Unfortunately, the poison took out all of his strength, causing him to faint as soon as he landed.

"You did great, Charles! Come back!" Mewtwo said, bringing Charles back into his ball. "Go, Vixie! Hit Magmar with dig!"

As soon as Vixie dug into the ground, neither Magmar nor Blaine knew what to do. The jolteon hit Magmar with the force of the ground, knocking the fiery pokémon out. Blaine recalled Magmar.

"Just one more," Mewtwo said.

"And we're back to a match of two eevee evolutions," Blaine said while bringing out his final poké ball. "Flareon, go!"

"Flare!" his flareon said, itching for a battle.

Vixie was smirking at it, wanting to test her powers after that long month of training. "Jolt!"

"Flareon! Fire blast!" Blaine ordered.

Flareon spat out the attack, but Vixie avoided it by jumping to the side.

"Vixie! Thunder!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie charged up her fur and sent a powerful bolt of lightning at Flareon, but did not manage to strike the target.

It was Blaine's turn. "Flareon! Dig!"

Both Vixie and Mewtwo knew they were in trouble. Still, there was something that could be done. "Vixie! Use swift!"

Vixie's spiky tail glowed bright white as she launched bright stars of light into the ground, catching Flareon off-guard. She took a hit from Flareon's dig, but it wasn't strong enough to knock her out.

"Flareon! Flare blitz!" Blaine ordered.

Mewtwo considered his options. Vixie wasn't physically as strong as Flareon, and as much as he'd like to tell her to use wild charge, he had to take a different approach. "Vixie! Thunder wave!"

Vixie was fast enough to land the thunder wave hit, paralyzing Flareon.

Blaine was starting to sweat. He knew that things weren't in his favor when his pokémon could hardly stand due to stiffened muscles. "Flareon! Flare blitz!"

His flareon could not move.

"Now's our chance!" Mewtwo said. "Vixie! Wild charge!"

Vixie surrounded herself in lightning and charged at Flareon, tackling it with her head.

"Flareon! Flare blitz!"

This time Flareon managed to use the attack, hitting Vixie hard.

Vixie was still standing, although shaking. Fortunately for her, this time she didn't catch fire.

"Let's get a guaranteed hit," Mewtwo said. "Vixie! Thunderbolt!"

Vixie charged up her fur and sent the yellow lightning bolt toward Flareon, resulting in striking the opponent and causing it to faint.

"Flareon! Come back!" Blaine said, retrieving his pokémon with the ball. "Well, Mewtwo, you did it. And you've only had one fainted pokémon." He brought the flame-shaped badge to Mewtwo. "You have earned it."

Mewtwo took the badge. "Thank you!" He looked at it for a moment. "The training you gave us has made us this strong. Let's hope we're ready for the Victory Road challenge."

Blaine smiled. "Do your best. I will be among the people in the audience, so look there when you need encouragement."

Kohaku showed up too, this time without the bandages. His face seemed almost normal, with only the faintest signs that he once had a scar on it. He grinned wide and then said, "I'll be there too. Make us proud, Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo smiled at them. "My team and I will give it all we have!" He used his psychic power to put the badge into his backpack and bring out a poké ball. "Vixie! Get in! It's time for us to go to Pallet Town!"

Vixie went into the ball, which was put back into Mewtwo's backpack.

"See you tomorrow!" Mewtwo said to the two men before teleporting away.

* * *

"Thank you for letting us stay here for the night, Professor Oak!" Mewtwo said while sitting in one of Oak's armchairs and holding a cup of tea.

The professor sat in the other armchair to the left and also held a cup of tea. The TV was off, as he and Mewtwo had been discussing for several minutes there. "Anything to help you out," Oak said before taking another sip of tea.

"Omy's still upset with me. I understand why, and I wish I could have done a better job protecting him."

Omy peeked from behind the frame of a door, glaring at Mewtwo. His shell was still showing some cracks.

"He'll get over it eventually," the professor said. "Sometimes we can't do much if circumstances are complicated. You could prepare for the things you already know about, though. Have you bought the needed supplies yet?"

"Yes, I have them all in my backpack."

"Good. Now all that's left is to rest well. The competition starts at seven in the morning. You'll have to be among the first so that you won't have to deal with too many trainers while also fighting off wild pokémon in the cave."

Mewtwo grinned. "I'll teleport to the entrance of Victory Road exactly at seven o' clock, so I'll surely be the first trainer there. I've visited it earlier, so I know where it is."

"Okay," the professor said, "but be prepared to face the next trainer who enters the competition. They will all be trying to stop you."

"My team and I will be ready!"

Through the window to the right, the setting sun could be seen painting the sky a bright red.

* * *

Morning came, and many seasoned trainers gathered at the golden gate near the Victory Road cave. A mustached guard sat inside his post and pushed a black button that opened the gate automatically. He was surprised to see a body made of bright white light materialize right in front of his post. The figure turned out to be Mewtwo, who had just teleported there.

A teenage guy with curly, shoulder-length blond hair, a black cap, black leather jacket, and blue jeans was just about to pass through the gate. He said, "Hey! Not fair!"

Before Mewtwo could apologize, the guard interrupted. "The rules say first come first served, so I'll have to register Mewtwo first. You'll have to wait at the gate, young man."

The teenager grumbled something while glaring at Mewtwo with his green eyes.

The guard focused on preparing the registration on his computer. "Now, Mister Mewtwo, I must tell you the rules of the Indigo Pokémon League." He grabbed a sheet of paper and read from it. "All trainers must register their pokémon at the Victory Road entrance. No pokémon trading is allowed until reaching the Indigo Plateau. Trainers are allowed to challenge each other to a pokémon battle while they travel the Victory Road, as long as they are within arm's reach. The one challenged is not allowed to decline the challenge. Only pokémon are allowed to battle, and only one each per round. If all of your pokémon faint during a challenge, you are eliminated from the competition and must return to this gate. If there is an emergency, a rescue team will be sent after you. However, should you or your pokémon require to be taken by the rescue team, you will not be allowed to re-join the competition this year. The journey to the Indigo Plateau will be traveled on foot. There will be no flying, digging, riding, or teleporting. To ensure that all contestants stick to the rules, fifty cameras have been placed inside the cave. Please place your right hand's index finger onto this device to sign that you have understood the rules." He put a tablet in front of Mewtwo.

"Alright," Mewtwo said, tapping the device's screen with his right hand's index finger – at least he considered it his index finger, since he didn't have any thumbs.

The man pointed at a device in the back. "Now you must register your pokémon in this machine right here, so we can keep track of them."

Said machine had slots for six poké balls and a screen with a keyboard displayed on it.

"Just one question, sir," Mewtwo said. "Do I count as part of my battle team?"

The guard furrowed his eyebrows while rubbing his mustache between his thumb and index finger. "Your case is unusual. We've never had trainer pokémon in this contest before, and the rule states that only pokémon may battle each other, but does not directly interdict trainers from battling against a pokémon just because they are trainers. I guess you could exploit this loophole until the council decides what to do about situations such as this one."

Mewtwo grinned. "Awesome!" He brought the balls out of his backpack. Then he went inside one ball, which landed onto the guard's desk alongside the ones of his pokémon.

"Well, this is an awkward way to start work," the guard said while taking Mewtwo's ball in his right hand and staring at it.

* * *

The inside of the cave was very dark, with the only source of light being its entrance where Mewtwo's silhouette stood.

"This is it," Mewtwo said. He brought out a poké ball from his backpack. "Charles! I choose you!"

Charles came out and landed onto the rocky, damp ground of the cave, illuminating the place with the flame of his tail. "Zar?"

"I'll need you to light the way for me, buddy. This place is a bit too dark, and I didn't think of packing a flashlight."

Charles shrugged at him, then walked forward to check out where he was. He saw several cameras sticking out of the walls of the cave's chamber. A colony of golbat hung from the ceiling alongside the yellowish stalactites.

"We better be careful not to scare them," Mewtwo said, tiptoeing.

Charles had other plans. He blew fire at the golbat, causing them to fly everywhere chaotically.

Mewtwo used his psychic powers to freeze the golbat in the air. "Charles! What did I say?" He gently lifted all of the wild pokémon toward the ceiling and put them back so they could hang there. They stared at him in shock while quivering.

As Mewtwo and Charles continued their journey as silently as possible, they heard footsteps from behind them.

A familiar voice said, "Where do you think you're going?"

They turned around to see the blond teenager, who stood there with a smirk on his face and a yellow pokémon almost as tall as him on his right side. The pokémon's head had a pair of beady eyes, two horns with black stripes, and a red gemstone on its forehead. Three black rings adorned its neck and its tail that ended in a red orb that emitted enough light to illuminate the entire chamber of the cave. Its abdomen was pure white. Its arms looked like flippers while its legs ended in feet that had one white nail each.

"My ampharos will have fun zapping your charizard," the teenager said.

"Oooooon!" a loud, deep voice boomed from somewhere inside the cave.

Everyone turned to see where it was coming from. They witnessed a giant, dark-gray onix break out of the ground. The beast stared down at Mewtwo.

"Actually," the teenager said, "I'll let the onix keep you busy while Amp and I make our way to the Indigo Plateau." He and his pokémon ran past the onix and climbed up a wooden ladder at the end of the chamber.

Mewtwo glanced at Charles. "Are you going to take him on, or should I fight him?"

Charles stepped up and spread his wings. "Zaaar!"

"Then use focus blast. It should be enough to make it retreat."

Charles put his hands forward, formed the blue orb of light, and fired it at the onix, sending it flying into a wall.

The onix lifted its head off the ground and glared down at Charles.

"He wants more, huh?" Mewtwo said, slowly moving his tail. "Charles! Finish it off with brick break!"

Charles' right hand claws glowed bright white as he brought down his hand to hit the onix's head.

"Ooooonnn!" the onix cried out while holding its eyes tightly shut. Not wanting any more pain, it chose to dig back into the ground and abandon the battle.

"So far so good," Mewtwo said. "Let's try to catch up with that trainer!"

They climbed up the ladder and reached the next area of Victory Road. This chamber did not seem as damp as the previous one, possibly due to being higher. It still had its share of golbat and zubat, but as long as Charles would not bother them, the bat pokémon would just settle for staying alert while the intruders passed by.

After some more tiptoeing, Mewtwo and Charles saw the blond guy, who was fighting a sandslash. The sandslash had brown spikes instead of the red ones that Mewtwo had seen on the first such pokémon he had met.

While the teenager was busy guiding his ampharos to battle the wild pokémon, Mewtwo telepathically whispered, _"Hey, Charles, let's sneak past him!"_

They went behind some tall stalagmites and columns, tiptoeing while staying in the shadows. Mewtwo had to cover Charles' tail flame with his hands to stop the light from giving away their position. It was nearly burning his palms, but he was sure he could bear the heat until they'd be far away enough to avoid confrontation with the other trainer.

"See ya, suckers!" a teenage girl with blue sportswear and black hair styled in pigtails yelled as she and her rapidash darted past Mewtwo and the other trainer.

The colony of golbat and zubat proceeded to swarm in on the blond guy.

"Just my luck ..." he said, struggling to get the creatures off.

Mewtwo stopped concealing the flame and looked at Charles. "Do you think we should help him?"

Charles shook his head and grumbled.

"You're right. He's our competitor. He'd just take advantage of being saved anyway. I guess it's best to let him and his pokémon deal with this. There are cameras everywhere here, so if things get bad, he'll be rescued."

As they continued to walk away, they heard a thunder strike from behind them, as well as the screeches of panic that the bat pokémon let out while flying away from the teenager and the ampharos.

Seeing that there were no golbat or zubat nearby, Mewtwo said, "Charles! Run for the ladder! He'll be coming after us soon!"

They sprinted to the ladder and climbed it as fast as they could, with Charles going first to illuminate the next floor. They ended up in a chamber that was larger and drier than the previous one, with very few stalactites and no stalagmites.

"I think we might be close to the exit," Mewtwo said. "I can smell fresh air."

From a pile of rocks, a geodude jumped out and held its fists high in the air while locking eyes with Charles. "Geo, dude!"

Charles let out a "Hmpf!" sound and slapped the geodude away with his tail.

"Well, that was easy," Mewtwo said. "Oh well, let's keep going."

"Not so fast!" It was the blond teenager. He had just finished climbing up the ladder, accompanied by his ampharos.

Mewtwo and Charles turned around to see him. The guy wasn't close enough to challenge them, so for a second Mewtwo wondered if he should let him catch up or not.

"Looks like I'll have to challenge and eliminate y–" The blond teenager stopped talking the moment he felt a hand on his right shoulder. He turned his head to the side to see who it was.

Another teenage guy with blue dreadlocks, tan skin, and dressed entirely in red sportswear grinned at him. "Hey! I challenge you!"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Great."

"See you at the plateau!" Mewtwo said before sprinting away alongside Charles. They kept going further and further until they were stopped in their tracks by a rhydon.

Charles spread his wings out while flexing his arms' muscles at the rhydon.

"Just use focus blast on it. I think that should be enough."

Charles didn't even need to hear his trainer's order, because he already knew that focus blast was best to use against rock pokémon. He formed the blue glowing orb and threw it at the rhydon, scaring it enough to cause it to dig away into the ground.

"Good job, Charles!" Mewtwo said.

"Hey, you!" shouted a teenage girl with a yellow dress and long black hair tied in a ponytail. She ran up to him, looking very confident. "I caught up to you. Now you have to accept my challenge."

"Alright," Mewtwo said.

She brought a poké ball out of her backpack and said, "Go, Fera!"

"Ferali!" the pokémon said as it materialized in front of Mewtwo. It was slightly taller than him, with mostly thick, blue, scaly skin except for its lower jaw and lower abdomen that were cream colored but just as armored. Its head had a large, red, three-pointed crest, then a similar one was on its back between its shoulder blades, and finally another such crest decorated the top of the creature's tail. The pokémon's big teeth and its hands with five sharp claws each made it look dangerous. Even its feet had three such claws that could deliver some nasty scratches if used in attacks.

Mewtwo stared for a moment at Fera. At the back of his mind there was a faint memory about a smaller but similar blue creature biting his tail. Was that even his tail? It was too thin to be his. It likely belonged to the creature from which he had been cloned. "What pokémon is that?"

"Looks like you ironically don't know much about pokémon," she said. "She is a feraligatr. It is the final stage of totodile, which is a possible starter given to new trainers in the Johto region."

"You're from another region?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you know? The Indigo Pokémon League welcomes participants from both Kanto and Johto. Johto has many ace trainers, and I am among them. Now may the best trainer win!"

Mewtwo looked at the feraligatr while bringing out his pokédex.

The device said, "Feraligatr, the big jaw pokémon. Its type is: water. The evolved form of croconaw and final form of totodile."

He closed the device and put it in his backpack. "Charles, I'll have to start with Vixie. Is that alright with you?"

Charles shrugged and then dropped to the ground to lie on his right side. He considered he could use a bit of lounging after all that walking and defeating two wild pokémon.

"Go, Vixie!" said Mewtwo after bringing out the ball.

"Jolllt!" Vixie cried out as she made her appearance and landed on the ground. Her fur was as sparking, as usual.

"I see you know type matchups at least," the ace trainer said. "Okay, Fera, use earthquake!"

Fera jumped high and landed as hard as she could, causing the ground to shake under Vixie.

Mewtwo looked around, seeing some of the stalactites fall. "Are you sure you should be using this type of attack while inside a cave?"

Vixie was glad to finally be able to stand on her legs properly. The shaking caused her some discomfort, but since Fera wasn't ground type, the attack wasn't as powerful as it could be.

"It's our turn!" Mewtwo said. "Vixie! Thunder!"

Vixie charged up the thunder and sent it toward Fera, successfully striking the target. Fera wrapped her arms around her own body, wincing from the pain.

"Fera! Use bulldoze!" the ace trainer ordered.

The feraligatr stomped the ground with her feet, causing shock waves to ripple through the soil.

Vixie fell to the side, but got back up as soon as the stomping ceased. She was starting to feel drained of her vitality, but she could tell that her opponent would not last long either.

"Vixie! Use thunderbolt!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie charged up her fur and then attacked, delivering a strong enough shock to knock out Fera.

"Fera! Come back!" the ace trainer said, holding Fera's ball.

As her pokémon returned, a redhead teenage girl ran past her and Mewtwo, not bothering to say a word to them.

The ace trainer scowled. "Looks like there will be more hurdles up ahead … for whichever of us gets to continue from here." She brought out another ball. "My next pokémon will be … Umbreon! Go!"

Mewtwo had bad memories regarding that pokémon species. It reminded him of the day he and Yan parted ways to avoid complications that Team Rocket could bring. Now that the villainous team was disbanded, he considered hanging out with Yan again – if the boy could forgive him for the abandonment.

"Are you ready?" the ace trainer asked. "You seem a little spaced out."

"Huh? Oh, I was just … thinking. Anyway, go ahead and order."

"Here goes! Umbreon! Dig!"

Mewtwo knew this was bad news for Vixie. He had to think fast. "Vixie! Dig under umbreon!"

Vixie dug into the ground, successfully avoiding Umbreon's attack and then delivering her own by breaking out of the soil and hitting the opponent. Unfortunately, her attack didn't do much to Umbreon.

It was the ace trainer's turn. "Umbreon! Use confuse ray!"

Umbreon's yellow rings started glowing brightly, giving Vixie a headache. The jolteon could barely stand on her legs.

"Vixie, use thunderbolt!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie tried to charge up the attack, but tripped and discharged the thunderbolt into the ground, hurting herself.

"Umbreon! Dark pulse!"

Umbreon's forehead ring glowed brightly as the center of the ring emitted dark purple orbs in groups of three that were fired at Vixie. A ring of rainbow light surrounded each group of orbs. The attack sent Vixie rolling on the ground, but she was still able to get up.

"Vixie! Try thunderbolt again!"

She couldn't even charge the attack, because she tripped and ended up sprawled on the ground.

"I love it when my opponents' pokémon get confused," the ace trainer said. "Umbreon! Let's end this round with hyper beam!"

Umbreon opened its mouth, took in a deep breath, then exhaled a powerful orange beam of light that struck Vixie so hard it sent the jolteon into a wall.

"Vixie! Come back!" Mewtwo said, retrieving her. "Charles, you're dealing with a dark type. You know what to do."

Charles grinned and stepped up.

The ace trainer smiled. "Your famous charizard ... I was hoping to see its power."

Mewtwo smirked. "Well, now you'll get the chance. Your umbreon will experience it first hand. Charles! Focus blast!"

Charles nonchalantly formed the blue orb and threw it at Umbreon, knocking it out instantly.

"Nice. With such a powerful move, your charizard is covered against rock types."

"We've been training under gym leader Blaine for a month," Mewtwo said while she recalled her umbreon. "He sure knows fire pokémon's strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand."

"Well, let's see how far the training can get you. My next pokémon … will be Raichu. Go, Raichu! Hit it with thunderbolt!"

"Rai!" her raichu cried out as it materialized on the ground. It charged up its cheeks and fired its attack at Charles, striking him instantly. Unlike Lieutenant Surge's raichu, this one's tail tip wasn't pointy.

Charles wasn't too affected by the shock, still eager to fight.

"Charles! Earthquake! Now!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles flew up high and then landed heavily on the ground, sending shock waves at Raichu, severely weakening it.

"Raichu! Thunder!" the ace trainer ordered.

With difficulty, Raichu got back on its feet, charged up the attack, and sent it at Charles, but he flew out of the lightning's way, causing it to miss.

"Great work, Charles!" Mewtwo said, fist-pumping. "Now dig!"

Charles flew up high, then went into the ground, digging his way under Raichu and breaking out with the force of the land. Raichu was knocked out and recalled.

"I'm outta here!" the blond teenage guy said as he and his ampharos ran past Mewtwo and the ace trainer.

She sighed. "The competition is growing fast. Let's hurry! I've got three more pokémon. Go, Tyranitar! Use smack down!"

Tyranitar formed as a creature around same size as Charles. It was light green, with a vaguely reptilian but bipedal body. It had three spikes going from its forehead toward its back, and on the back there was one row of six spikes on its right side and another on its left. It had four black triangles on its chest and a blue abdomen below. Its thighs also had two such triangles each. Putting its hands forward, Tyranitar formed a yellow orb of light and threw it at Charles, grounding him.

Mewtwo wanted to tell Charles to use earthquake, but then realized that there was a great opportunity here. "Charles! Tyranitar is double weak to fighting attacks. Use focus blast!"

Charles immediately formed the blue sphere and threw it at the opponent. This severely weakened Tyranitar.

The ace trainer ordered, "Tyranitar! Use stone edge!"

Her tyranitar slammed the ground with its hands, sending blue spiky rocks jutting out of the soil toward Charles. He jumped out of the attack's way.

"Charles! Focus blast once more!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles formed the orb and threw it at the opponent. Tyranitar tried to escape it, but wasn't fast enough to move out of the way and got hit hard enough to become unable to battle. It got recalled.

"Two left," the ace trainer said. "I'll do my best to pull off a win with them. Venusaur! Go! Use toxic!"

Her venusaur launched a purple ball of sludge out of the flower on its back. The blob almost landed on Charles, but he dodged.

"Good dodging skills, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Now attack Venusaur with overheat!"

Charles' body glowed red as he prepared the attack. Then he blew an extremely hot flame jet out of his mouth, scorching Venusaur badly.

"Venusaur! Use toxic again!"

The ace trainer's venusaur launched another purple blob from its flower, this time successfully landing it on Charles. The charizard got badly poisoned, feeling nausea.

"Just one flamethrower and that venusaur is down! Charles! Flamethrower!"

Charles blew the fire jet at venusaur, but due to having used overheat earlier, his attack wasn't as strong. This caused venusaur to still endure the hit, but, to the ace trainer's disappointment, Venusaur's leaves caught fire, damaging it enough to make it faint.

"Come back, Venusaur!" the ace trainer said. After her pokémon returned to its ball, she brought out her final one. "Well, this is all I got left. Go, beedrill!"

It was a normal beedrill with black and yellow body slightly bigger than Buzz.

"Beedrill! Electroweb!" the ace trainer ordered.

Her beedrill spat out a web made of yellow glowing strings. The web became so large that it didn't let Charles escape from it, shocking him. The poison was hurting him as well.

"Hang on, Charles! Use air slash!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles got up and spread his wings. The nausea and the heaviness of the smack down effect were making it difficult for him to maintain his balance, but he managed to jump and fly. His wings glowed bright white as he went toward Beedrill. The opponent tried to fly out of the way, but Charles was quick enough to hit it with his left wing. Beedrill was knocked out.

"We won!" Mewtwo said, jumping with joy.

Charles landed and fell on the ground, grumbling.

Mewtwo went next to him and telekinetically brought out a purple bottle from his backpack. "Open your mouth, Charles. This antidote should remove the poisoning."

Charles opened his mouth and received the antidote, which tasted bitter and caused him to stick his tongue out in disgust.

The ace trainer called back her beedrill and then looked at its ball. "Almost one year of training … and we didn't even make it to the Indigo Plateau."

"Hey, I heard it's a yearly competition," Mewtwo said. "You could try again next year. Should be plenty of time to train until then."

"You're right," she said. "I thought my super skilled pokémon were ready for this tournament. I overtrained them, evolved them early without giving them time to grow and become sturdier ... We'll be more prepared next time!" She turned to leave, but took one last look at Mewtwo. "Good luck."

Charles was back to normal, although still weakened from the battle.

Mewtwo used his psychic power to bring out a potion from his backpack and sprayed it onto his pokémon's skin. "Are you ready?"

Charles nodded, feeling invigorated.

"Let's go!" Mewtwo said, sprinting away. Charles followed him.

* * *

The exit of the Victory Road cave was just up ahead. Mewtwo was very glad to see the sunlight again. He knew that the Indigo Plateau was close.

A human silhouette blocked the light from the exit. Upon getting closer, Mewtwo could tell it was the redhead girl that went ahead during his battle with the ace trainer. She seemed sad.

"What happened?" Mewtwo asked.

She scowled and gritted her teeth while stomping away. "Let's just say I bit more than I could chew. That guy's ampharos put my entire team into paralysis!"

Mewtwo watched her leave while feeling sorry for her. "Better luck next time, I guess." He and Charles made it out of the cave and enjoyed the warmth of the sun rays. Something he saw with the corner of his left eye caught his attention. It seemed to be something that was entirely on fire, and it flew toward the top of the cliff while letting out a weird scream. He got his pokédex out, but was too late to scan the creature.

In front of him towered the Indigo Plateau – a tall building with red carpet stairs leading up to its entrance.

"We're here," Mewtwo said. "We're finally here! Charles? Victory walk!" He strutted forward, and Charles did the same.

* * *

After entering the building, Mewtwo saw the blond teenage guy at a counter where a nurse healed only one of the guy's pokémon. It was most likely the ampharos that was used to defeat the redhead girl from earlier.

"This time I arrived before you!" the blond said to Mewtwo. He pointed at a tall, wooden double door. "As soon as the lass who got here first comes back crying out that door, I'm going out there and taking the champion's place." He pointed at Mewtwo. "You want the title? Then come fight me for it! If you can get past the Elite Four, that is."

Mewtwo slowly moved his tail while looking slightly annoyed. "You're kind of overconfident, don't you think?"

The teenager smirked. "How can I not be? I've got pokémon that are extremely strong, sly, and fast. Kanto's not prepared for my pokémon and their skills."

At that moment, the girl who owned a rapidash came through the double door that led to the arena. She was trying hard not to cry, although tears could be seen forming in her eyes. "Prima's pokémon are just too strong!"

The blond guy grinned while half-closing his eyes. "I told you she'd come back crying."

"Wait till she kicks your butt too!" the girl said. "Her lapras just cannot be stopped! It whips up blizzards that can freeze almost anything!"

"Heheh, you thought that just because you had a rapidash you were prepared for the tournament. Raw power won't be enough here. You gotta be cunning! Now go back to the drawing board and come back next year, amateur!"

She glared daggers at the blond, then went to another room to metaphorically lick her wounds.

After the guy received his poké ball back, he said, "Thank you, nurse!"

"You're keeping the same team you've registered at the reception, right?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Of course. I have complete faith that this team is going to get me all the way to the top." He put the ball inside his jacket's right pocket, then looked at Mewtwo. "Well, the time has come for Lance to make way for the new champion. Here I come!" As the double door opened to reveal the arena again, he left the room.

After the door closed, Mewtwo went to Nurse Joy's counter. "That guy is so arrogant ..."

"I agree," the nurse said, "but he has plenty of reasons to brag."

Mewtwo raised his right fleshy eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He's an ace trainer from Johto. His starter was a mareep from his father's flock, and during his quest to gather eight badges from his country, he has only lost to the first gym. He won the rematch there, and then went on a winning spree, being the first Johto trainer to gather eight badges in just one month."

"I'm not going to lie, he sounds like a worthy opponent."

Charles blew a stream of fire toward the ceiling while flexing his arms' muscles.

"Please control your charizard," the nurse said.

Mewtwo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. He's just saying that he wants to fight that guy's ampharos." He looked at Charles. "Get in your poké ball! We need to get you fully healed before we go challenge the Elite Four."

▶ **To be continued.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: The Elite Four**

Mewtwo sat on a red couch in the Indigo Plateau reception while staring at a screen that was on a wall. It contained a list of 151 names – all belonging to trainers who had entered the competition. Many names were in red, some were in yellow, and only one – Slick Chaser – was in blue. There was a legend regarding the colors on the bottom right corner of the screen. Blue meant the trainer was challenging the Elite Four. Yellow meant the trainer was still traveling Victory Road. Red meant the trainer had been eliminated. There was a fourth color, green, reserved for the temporary champion.

Nurse Joy looked away from her computer's monitor. She saw how Mewtwo kept an eye on the list for every little change. "Are you nervous?"

He turned to look at her. "A bit. There are thirty trainers on their way here, and then there's that guy who may or may not defeat the Elite Four and the current champion. Even if I get to the point of defeating the champion, there might be plenty of challengers I'll have to deal with right after that."

"Not all thirty will make it here," the nurse said. She pointed at the screen that had the names. "Look, five have just been eliminated. I'd be surprised if ten could make it to the plateau. Last year, only seven trainers managed to get this far. And from those seven, only three managed to defeat the Elite Four, and of course only one of them kept the title of Champion. He defeated the temporary champion and defended his title against the third challenger. That trainer is Lance, the Dragon Master and current Champion."

"I see," Mewtwo said, still watching the list. Two more yellow names turned red. Less competition for him if he'd manage to become temporary champion.

Half an hour had passed and nobody showed up anymore. The list of names had been narrowed down to 10 – including Slick and Mewtwo. Things were looking pretty good for him, so he smiled with relief. However, when he saw Slick's name turn green, his mouth opened slightly and remained that way for a few seconds. "He … did it?"

Nurse Joy stopped typing and looked up from the monitor to see the list of names. "Oh, I guess we have our first temporary champion of this year."

The wooden door parted open to reveal the arena – a terrain that contained small boulders and ground.

"You're next, Mewtwo!" the nurse said.

He got up and slowly made his way to the door.

She waved at him. "Good luck!"

"Thanks. I'll need it."

* * *

The crowd was cheering. Mewtwo noted how well the reception room was isolated from sound, because he had not heard anything except the muffled words of the announcer guy. Even then, he could not make out what was being said while he was in that room. Now he was faced with noise from all sides.

The announcer spoke the loudest over the crowd. "Our next contender to the title of Champion is none other than … Mewtwo, the first trainer pokémon in the world!"

Mewtwo looked around and saw thousands of people sitting on the bleachers, most of them looking happy or astonished, and a few looking angry, possibly thinking his presence there was just a joke. Ignoring those few, he spotted some familiar faces in the crowd.

Professor Oak sat there, smiling proudly at Mewtwo. To his right, there was a boy with brown, spiky hair. He wore a purple T-shirt, and a pendant with a yellow and green yin-yang symbol on it. Next to that kid was another boy with black, spiky hair, and a blue jacket. He said, "Wow! I finally get to see Mewtwo! If a pokémon can make it here, then I could do so as well some day!"

The brown-haired boy snorted at him. "Yeah, right, Ash. You're so lazy that even a snorlax has more chances than you to get this far."

The other boy shot him a nasty look. "Zip it, Gary! Three years from now, I'll be Champion!"

Somewhere closer to the ground, all of the gym leaders had special seats to see the action unfold from up close. Blaine and the rest of the ones Mewtwo had challenged before were among them, but the others he could not recognize. He assumed they were either from the parts of Kanto he had not visited or from Johto. Three nurses stood to the right of them. Two held one chansey each on their laps, and one held a crobat.

To the left of the gym leaders, there sat Quirinus in his custom-made, velvety red chair with gold frame while dressed in a purple robe. The guy _did_ promise to be present at the Indigo Plateau. He smiled at Mewtwo.

On the opposite side of the stadium, Kohaku waved at Mewtwo. "Good luck, buddy!"

Two rows higher sat … Yan? The kid was there with his parents. Nutcracker sat on his lap and watched as well. "Go, Mewtwo! Become Champion!" Yan shouted, although the crowd's cheers drowned out his voice.

A blue drone flew above the stadium, its camera focusing on Mewtwo.

* * *

The video feed from the drone was being sent to Giovanni's hideout. He stroked his persian's fur and sat in his comfortable, brown armchair. "Make me proud, Mewtwo!" he said.

* * *

Mewtwo stood in the arena and watched as the door in front of him opened to reveal his first opponent. A woman with glasses, long, flowing crimson hair, and a red dress stepped into the arena.

The announcer said, "Mewtwo will battle the first of the Elite Four, Lorelei – also known as Prima!"

She smiled calmly at him. "Good luck, Mewtwo. Remember to keep your cool." She brought out her poké ball. "I choose you, Slowbro."

A pink creature with a spiky, conical shell for a tail came out. The pokémon's ears were curled, appearing round. While its eyes were staring blankly, the shell's eyes, much larger than Slowbro's, glared at Mewtwo. The slowbro stood on its hind legs with its lower jaw drooping down.

"That's quite a goofy pokémon," Mewtwo said.

"Do not underestimate my slowbro. He has participated in plenty of battles and has won most of them."

Mewtwo brought out his pokédex.

The device analyzed Prima's pokémon. "Slowbro, the hermit crab pokémon. Its types are: water and psychic."

He put the pokédex away and brought out a ball. "Go, Vixie!"

"An electric type," Prima said. "Good choice. Slowbro, use psychic."

Vixie found herself being thrown around by an invisible force while her body was surrounded by a blue aura. When the attack ended, she landed on her feet.

It was Mewtwo's turn to order. "Vixie! Thunderbolt!"

Vixie struck Slowbro with the thunderbolt, but Slowbro stood there looking goofy.

"It didn't do anything?!" Mewtwo said.

"My slowbro is very calm, even during battle. Slowbro, earthquake."

Slowbro continued to stare blankly while a blue aura surrounded his body. The ground shook under Vixie, making her jump around until she fell. The attack didn't hurt her much since Slowbro was not a ground type, but it still caused her a bit of pain.

"Vixie! Use thunder!"

Vixie charged up the attack and launched it, but Slowbro only took a step to the side and avoided the lightning strike.

"See how calm Slowbro is?" Prima asked. "Slowbro, psychic."

Slowbro lifted Vixie into the air with his psychic power and slammed her against the ground three times. Despite that, she still managed to get up and assume battle stance.

Mewtwo took a moment to ponder the situation, then said, "We need to get a guaranteed hit. Vixie! Thunderbolt!"

Vixie's fur shot out sparks before launching the lightning bolt that struck Slowbro. Mewtwo was still unable to tell if Slowbro was weakened enough or not, because the creature's expression and body position did not change.

Prima crossed her arms. "I like to keep my opponents guessing if they did enough damage. Your jolteon is already very weakened. Slowbro? Surf."

Slowbro raised his right hand to the sky. "Bro!" Water jets came out of the ground, then came together to form a giant wave that carried Slowbro on its top. It landed over Vixie, knocking her out and leaving Slowbro standing next to her.

Mewtwo recalled Vixie and brought out the next pokémon. "Eggs! I choose you!"

"Eggs!" the exeggutor said, eager to battle.

"Alright, Eggs, we're dealing with a pokémon weak to grass attacks here. Wood hammer should do."

Eggs nodded to Mewtwo, then proceeded to smack Slowbro with his tree head.

Slowbro got back on his feet, still looking unaffected. By this point Mewtwo knew he should not rely on Slowbro's appearance to gauge the creature's stamina, so instead he chose to read Slowbro's mind. "Hmm, seems like Eggs' attack did quite a number on your slowbro."

Prima smiled. "That's one advantage psychic trainers have over most others when battling my pokémon. But will it be enough? Slowbro, ice beam."

Her slowbro formed a blue orb of light in front of his mouth and blew into it, launching the ice beam. Since Eggs was a grass-dragon type, the attack not only made his skin hurt, but the frost got all the way to the core of his chest. The pain caused him to wail while shaking his tree head around.

Mewtwo said, "Eggs, I know things look bad right now, but you still have the upper hand. Use power whip and he's out!"

Eggs extended two purple whips out of his leaves and struck Slowbro with them, knocking him out.

Prima recalled Slowbro, then said, "Well done, Mewtwo and Eggs. A good start. But let's see if you've got the dance skills. Jynx, I choose you."

Jynx came out of the ball she threw. It looked like a human woman with purple face and gloves, big pink lips, long blond hair, and a red dress with gold accents. It slowly moved its hips side to side, as if dancing.

Mewtwo consulted his pokédex, which said, "Jynx, the human shape pokémon. Its types are: ice and psychic." That was bad news for Eggs.

Prima said, "Jynx, use your ice beam."

Her jynx opened its mouth and formed a blue ball of light. It blew into it and sent a concentrated beam that was extremely cold. The attack hit Eggs' tree-head, freezing it and causing Eggs to fall upside-down.

"Eggs, remember what Mister Blaine taught us?" Mewtwo asked.

Eggs' muffled voice could be heard from within the ice shell.

"Yes! Flamethrower!" Mewtwo ordered while pointing at Jynx.

Eggs blew fire from his top middle head's mouth through the ice, thawing himself out and scorching the jynx a bit.

"Nice," Prima said. "However, you better have a backup plan, because your Eggs won't last long. Jynx, another ice beam, please."

Her pokémon fired the ice beam and knocked Eggs out, exactly as she had anticipated.

Mewtwo brought out another ball. "My next pokémon will be … Charles! Go!"

Charles landed onto the battlefield and blew a flame out of his mouth before focusing on Jynx.

"Charles! Use flamethrower!"

Charles' attack burned Jynx badly, but Prima didn't seem worried. She ordered, "Jynx, use psychic."

Charles' body was surrounded by a bright blue aura similar to the glow in Jynx' eyes. He was then lifted into the air in spite of him tearing a chunk of the ground with his hands. When Jynx pointed down, Charles landed face first.

"Get up, Charles! We can do this!" Mewtwo said.

His charizard got back up and was ready for new orders.

"Charles! Fire blast! Now!"

Charles spat out the attack and successfully hit Jynx with it. Jynx wobbled for a bit before fainting.

Prima recalled her pokémon and prepared the next one. "It's time for Dewgong to come out and play. Go, Dewgong."

"I'll just read your mind to find out your pokémon's type," Mewtwo said. "I see. Water-ice. Would have been great if Eggs were still around. Well, Charles can deal with this one too."

Prima adjusted her glasses. "We'll see what you got. Dewgong, surf."

Her dewgong summoned a water wave from under the soil and threw it over Charles. It was a hard hit, but Charles still got back on his feet.

"Charles! Focus blast!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles unleashed the focus blast from his hands and sent Dewgong flying. Dewgong landed in front of its trainer.

"Dewgong, use surf again."

Charles ended up soaked once more as the wave crashed down on him, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Charles! Another focus blast!"

Dewgong tried to avoid Charles' attack, but he was too fast, flying around until he could get close enough to the opponent. He found the perfect moment to launch the focus blast, and landed it perfectly, knocking out Dewgong.

"Great work," Prima said, recalling her pokémon. "Two more to go. My next pokémon is … Cloyster. Go."

Cloyster materialized. It reminded Mewtwo of shellder, but it looked more armored and its shell opened horizontally instead of vertically, having a pair of long protrusions at the top. A horn stuck out from above the cloyster's head.

"It's another water-ice type, huh?" Mewtwo said. "Well, Charles, we know what works against these."

"Zaaar!" Charles said.

Prima maintained her calmness. "Cloyster, use supersonic."

Cloyster opened its mouth and generated sharp sound waves that gave Charles a splitting headache, causing him to hold his hands over his ears.

"Charles, use focus blast!" Mewtwo ordered, but Charles was too busy trying to maintain his balance before tripping and hurting himself in the fall.

Prima said, "Cloyster, surf."

Cloyster summoned the wave and rode it until it splashed over Charles, knocking him out.

Mewtwo recalled Charles and prepared his next pokémon. "Golduck! Go!"

Golduck made his appearance and assumed battle stance.

"Golduck! Calm mind!" Mewtwo ordered.

Golduck sat on the ground, in lotus position, and closed his eyes. A bright white aura emitted from his body.

"Intriguing," Prima said. "Cloyster, supersonic."

Cloyster emitted the sharp sound, but Golduck concentrated so well that he did not become confused.

"Golduck! Hyper beam!"

Golduck put two fingers from each of his hands on the sides of his gem, then fired a bright orange beam of light that struck the cloyster so hard it moved the pokémon toward Prima, almost crossing the white line drawn on the battlefield.

"Cloyster, show Golduck your hyper beam," Prima ordered.

Cloyster smirked. It fired a bright white beam of light from its mouth, sending Golduck tumbling until he stopped right in front of Mewtwo's feet.

"Golduck! Are you alright?"

Golduck got up and gave Mewtwo a thumbs up. "Gold!"

"Cloyster is pretty weakened, and also has to rest due to using hyper beam. Now's our chance. Use psychic!"

Golduck used his power to lift Cloyster into the air before smashing it into the ground and dragging it around a bit. This knocked Cloyster out, making Prima recall it.

"This is the fifth and final pokémon I am allowed to use. He is my best one, so be careful. Lapras, I choose you."

Lapras materialized. It was lighter in color than Red's lapras, and slightly bigger.

"Lapras, thunder."

Her lapras' horn shone bright yellow, then unleashed a powerful lightning bolt that knocked out Golduck.

Mewtwo recalled him and brought out another ball. "Buzz! Go! Use toxic!"

Buzz fired purple jets out of his needles, successfully landing them on Lapras, who ended up poisoned.

Prima raised her eyelids a bit. Mewtwo read it as a sign of worry.

"Lapras, psychic," she ordered, still trying to maintain her calm.

Lapras pulled Buzz from the air and swung him around, ramming him into the ground for the duration of the attack. Buzz was left on the ground, a bit confused, but he shook the dirt off himself and flew back into the air.

The poison was working its way through Lapras' body, causing him to feel nauseous and to struggle with maintaining his balance. He let out a muffled squeak.

"Lapras … use blizzard," Prima said. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

Lapras let out a shout that turned into wind and snowflakes. Buzz felt the cold wind and zipped around, avoiding the stronger gusts and the snow, thus not receiving any damage.

"Great dodging skills, Buzz!" Mewtwo said. "Now it's time for outrage!"

Prima looked at her Lapras, who held his eyes shut tight and continued to emit muffled squeaks. She reached out with her right hand, her red nails glittering in the sun. "Mewtwo, wait!"

Mewtwo and Buzz stared at her.

"I yield," she said. "Lapras would lose the match either way, and I know as a trainer that there is no point in prolonging this fight. Your next opponent will be Bruno. He specializes in fighting type pokémon. Good luck."

She recalled her lapras and left the arena through the same door from which she came.

"Mewtwo wins against Prima!" the announcer said as the crowd cheered. "The challenge will resume after ten minutes."

* * *

Mewtwo tended to his hurt pokémon, giving them potions and feeding them berries. They were still tired, but their wounds were healing fast and the food was slowly restoring their energy. He brought out some water bottles and poured from them into five bowls so that his team could drink if they needed to. Once that was done, he took a seat on one of four wooden chairs on the side of the arena and waited there for the break to pass.

* * *

The ten minutes were up, and the announcer said, "It's time for the second challenge! Mewtwo will now be facing Bruno of the Elite Four!"

The door opened, revealing a tall, shirtless, tan-skinned man with black, spiky hair and white pants. A black belt decorated his waist.

Mewtwo put all of his pokémon back into their balls and placed them inside the backpack, leaving it open. He stepped back to his side of the battlefield and said, "Hello."

Bruno looked at him and smiled. "Hello there, Mewtwo! I've been hoping to battle you some day. You've built up quite a reputation among trainers."

"I'll do my best to make your wait worthwhile," Mewtwo said.

Bruno brought out his first poké ball. "Let's begin. Go, Hitmonlee!"

A light-brown humanoid pokémon with long legs and arms ending in three fingers appeared. It had eyes with black bags under them, but no nose or mouth could be seen on its face. It didn't even have a neck, its trunk being fused to its body in an upside-down pear shape.

Mewtwo read Bruno's mind to find out more information about the hitmonlee. "So, it's a pure fighting type. I know who I'm going to choose for this. Go, Charles!"

Charles made his entrance, flying onto the battlefield and landing before roaring at the opponent.

"Hitmonlee! Rock slide!" Bruno ordered.

Hitmonlee kicked rocks off the ground and sent them at Charles, who reacted by flying out of the attack's way.

A good start, Mewtwo thought. "Charles, fly!"

His charizard flew high into the sky, leaving the hitmonlee no opportunity to fight. He landed hard on top of the opponent, causing nasty scratches on Hitmonlee from the impact.

Bruno raised his right fist. "Rock slide again, Hitmonlee!"

His pokémon kicked rocks again, this time some of them managing to hit Charles' wings. Fortunately for Charles, Hitmonlee wasn't rock type, so the attack wasn't strong enough to do much damage.

"Charles! Fly again!"

Charles did as told, and upon landing on Hitmonlee, he knocked it out.

Bruno recalled Hitmonlee and sent out his next pokémon. "Go, Onix! Rock tomb!"

A white aura emitted from Onix's body, and a ring of gray rocks formed around the pokémon's head. It threw the rocks at Charles, and they landed on him, pinning him to the ground.

"Charles! Focus blast!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles freed himself from the rocks and threw the blast at Onix, but missed when the rock snake moved to the right.

Bruno grinned. "We got him now, Onix! Rock tomb again!"

His onix threw the rocks at Charles, knocking him out this time. Mewtwo recalled him and chose his next fighter. "Eggs! Go! Use power whip!"

Eggs materialized and used the purple whips to strike Onix, slightly cracking some of the opponent's rocks. Onix was struggling to keep its head off the ground after that hit.

Bruno sighed. "Well, there's no point in forcing Onix to fight an exeggutor. Onix! Come back!" After Onix returned to its ball, he summoned the next pokémon. "Hitmonchan! Go!"

Hitmonchan came out with its fists covered by red boxing gloves held in front of itself. The light-brown creature looked humanoid and had a pair of somewhat large eyes, a mouth, but no nose. The top of its head had five protrusions with blunt tips. A violet tunic and kilt separated by a black belt complemented by violet shoes were worn by the pokémon.

"Since I've swapped my pokémon, you take this turn, Mewtwo," Bruno said.

"Alright. Let's see … Eggs! Power whip!"

Eggs whipped Hitmonchan with his purple whips, but the opponent guarded itself and did not get hurt too much.

"Hitmonchan! Throw an ice punch!" Bruno ordered.

The creature's right glove glowed bright blue as it delivered the punch to Eggs' chest. Eggs ended up frozen.

"Your move," Bruno said.

Mewtwo knew exactly what attack to order. "Eggs! Flamethrower!"

Eggs tried to heat himself up enough to spit a fire jet, but all that came out was a bit of steam.

"Uh-oh!" Mewtwo said.

Bruno grinned. "Looks like your tree isn't used to winter. Hitmonchan! Another ice punch!"

His pokémon punched into the ice boulder that Eggs had become, making the frost even thicker.

"Eggs, are you getting tired?" Mewtwo asked.

Eggs seemed drowsy, his heads' eyes being half-closed. "E … egg?" Then he fainted.

"I guess it's time for you to rest," Mewtwo said, telekinetically bringing out the ball. After retrieving his pokémon, he prepared to summon the next one. "Golduck! It's your turn! Your opponent is a pure fighting type. Use psychic!"

Golduck focused on Hitmonchan and lifted it into the air with his mind, then spun the opponent around before slamming it into the ground.

Bruno had a serious expression on his face. "That Golduck is pretty strong. Hitmonchan! Thunder punch!"

Hitmonchan got up. His glove was enveloped in a yellow light as the pokémon tried to punch Golduck but missed.

"He's fast too," Bruno said.

"Golduck, psychic again!"

Golduck lifted Hitmonchan into the air once more, spun it around, then dropped it on the ground. This time, Hitmonchan could no longer get up and fell asleep due to exhaustion, getting recalled.

Bruno threw the next ball. "Go, Machamp!"

The four-armed muscular pokémon flexed in front of the audience.

"Machamp! Hyper beam!"

Machamp took in air and breathed out an orange beam of light that struck Golduck in the chest, sending him flying all the way to Mewtwo's feet.

"Golduck! Use confusion!" Mewtwo ordered.

Golduck got up and used his psychic power to give Machamp a headache and dizziness.

Bruno hoped his pokémon was still able to execute commands. "Machamp! Bullet punch!"

Machamp ended up punching itself, giving Mewtwo and Golduck another chance at attacking.

"Golduck! Hydro pump!"

Golduck spat out a powerful jet of water, knocking Machamp out with it.

Bruno was down to his last pokémon. "Go, Poliwrath! Body slam!"

The blue pokémon with a black spiral on its white, grin-shaped abdomen jumped into the air and landed on top of Golduck. After Poliwrath got off him, Golduck found it difficult to move. Still, he managed to get up and face his opponent.

Mewtwo said, "Golduck! Use psychic! Poliwrath is a water-fighting type."

Golduck used his mind to lift Poliwrath into the air and spun it around before slamming it into the ground. Poliwrath was still able to get back up and stand.

"Poliwrath! Body slam again!" Bruno ordered.

His pokémon landed on top of Golduck again, knocking him out.

Bruno grinned. "That has got to hurt!"

Mewtwo recalled Golduck and brought out his next pokémon. "Go, Vixie! Hit Poliwrath with thunder!"

Vixie charged up her fur and sent the powerful lightning strike straight at Poliwrath, defeating it.

Bruno recalled Poliwrath, then went to shake Mewtwo's hand. "Congratulations! You did a good job training these pokémon. Not only do you have your team covered against most types, but you also know your pokémon well. Thank you for this great battle! Your next opponent will be Will of the Elite Four – a psychic type specialist. Good luck!"

"Thank you, Mister Bruno," Mewtwo said. "I'll make sure that everyone is well-rested before the next match."

* * *

After a ten minute break, Mewtwo returned to his side of the battlefield.

The announcer said, "This time Mewtwo will battle Will of the Elite Four!"

Will made his entrance. He was dressed in violet, formal clothes and wore a black mask. His hair was purple and shoulder-length. "The legendary Mewtwo has come to challenge me. I foresee a great battle. My first pokémon will be Clefable! Go!"

Mewtwo remembered the clefable from Mount Moon and how they danced around the giant rock. He read Will's mind to see how he had acquired Clefable, and was happy to find that the Elite Four member had befriended the pokémon instead of buying it from Team Rocket.

"Aha!" Will said, pointing at Mewtwo. "You are probing my mind, aren't you?"

"Y-yes. Sorry, sir."

"You don't have to apologize for it. There are no rules stating that you aren't allowed to read an opponent's mind. I do it all the time. Now send out your pokémon and let's start!"

Mewtwo prepared the ball. "Go, Buzz!"

"A poison type to deal with my fairy," Will said. "Predictable. Clefable! Psychic!"

His clefable spread its arms out and caught Buzz in its telekinetic grip. Then it smacked the beedrill against a rock before releasing him.

It was Mewtwo's turn. "Buzz! Use toxic!"

Buzz shot Clefable with the purple jets from his needles, poisoning it.

"You're trying to secure your win, aren't you?" Will said. "Clefable! Fire blast!"

Clefable formed an orange orb of light between its hands, then threw it at Buzz, who flew out of the attack's way.

"Great dodge, Buzz!" Mewtwo said. "Now use sludge bomb!"

Buzz's stingers glowed purple before he fired the shots at Clefable. The attack landed and knocked the opponent on its back. The poison from toxic continued to drain Clefable's vitality.

"Clefable! One last psychic attack!" Will ordered.

Clefable barely managed to catch Buzz, but didn't miss the opportunity to smack him into another rock while making the poison sizzle inside his body.

"Buzz! Hang on! Just one last shot of sludge bomb and this round's ours!"

The beedrill used sludge bomb again, and the weakened clefable dropped from exhaustion.

Will recalled Clefable and prepared his next ball. "Go, Slowbro! Amnesia!"

Slowbro stood there, staring blankly. After a few seconds had passed, it said, "Slow."

"I'm guessing that did something," Mewtwo said. He read Will's mind. "Oh, it raises its special defense. Alright. Buzz, set up with toxic!"

Buzz nodded. "Bzz!" He knew he was going to get knocked out next turn, but he had faith in Mewtwo's plan, so he shot the toxic jets out of his needles and poisoned the slowbro.

"It's time for you to go, Buzz," Will said. "Slowbro! Psychic!"

The telekinetic grip was much tighter on Buzz than the one exerted by the clefable. He felt like he was being crushed by the air for a second before Slowbro sent him to the ground. The crash knocked him unconscious, prompting Mewtwo to recall Buzz.

"I've got the perfect counter to your slowbro!" Mewtwo said. "Go, Vixie! Thunder wave!"

Vixie emitted yellow sparks from her fur and launched them at Slowbro, whose muscles ended up stiffened upon receiving the attack.

Will frowned. "Well this complicates things a little. But we can still try to even the playing field. Slowbro! Water pulse!"

Slowbro brought its hands close to each other and formed a blue orb filled with water between them. It then threw it at Vixie. Upon contact with the orb that splashed over her body, she became confused and struggled to stand.

"Vixie! Use thunderbolt!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie successfully zapped Slowbro, in spite of her dizziness.

"Slowbro! Throw her around with psychic!"

Slowbro heard Will's order, but could not move its arms to direct its attack.

Mewtwo took advantage of this. "Vixie! Thunder!"

Vixie summoned the powerful lightning bolt and sent Slowbro rolling on the ground over a short distance.

"Slowbro! Try psychic again!" Will ordered.

Slowbro was still unable to move, and remained on the ground.

"Vixie! Another thunder!"

Vixie managed to land the attack again, weakening Slowbro even more.

"Slowbro! Psychic!"

This time Slowbro was able to follow Will's order and telekinetically threw Vixie around until dropping her from the air.

"This time we need precision," Mewtwo said. "Thunderbolt!"

Vixie fought against her dizziness and successfully landed the thunderbolt on Slowbro, winning the round.

"Go, Hypno!" Will said. After his yellow, big-nosed pokémon with fluffy white collar and short pointy ears came out, he gave the next order. "Psychic attack!"

Hypno sent Vixie rolling all the way to where Mewtwo stood. Since Vixie fainted, Mewtwo had to recall her. He brought out the next ball. "Go, Charles!"

"The unusual charizard," Will said. "I heard it is quite powerful."

"Indeed, he is. Charles! Fire blast!"

Charles spat out the five-branched flame and roasted Hypno's fur, covering it in soot.

"Hypno! Retaliate with shadow ball!"

Hypno formed the dark ball of energy that reminded Mewtwo of his moment of anger during the Team Rocket battle. The ball was sent at Charles, and it hit the charizard hard in the chest. Fortunately for Mewtwo, Charles did not collapse.

"Use flamethrower, Charles!"

The charizard took in air and spat out the fire jet, scorching Hypno and even setting it on fire.

It was Will's turn. "Hypno! Use shadow ball again!"

Charles ended up hit with the shadow ball this time too, and even gained a black aura.

"Now it will be weaker against special attacks," Will said.

"We'll just have to go all out then. Charles! Fire blast!"

Charles spat out the blast and landed the hit, knocking Hypno out.

After retrieving Hypno, Will prepared his next pokémon. "Go, Kadabra! Thunder punch!"

The yellow pokémon with red star on forehead, long whiskers, a brown chest armor, and a thick, long tail came out holding a spoon in its right hand. It raised its left fist and punched Charles in the belly, sending electric current through all of his muscles. This resulted in him paralyzing.

"Charles! Use fire blast!"

Charles could not follow Mewtwo's order, so Will took the opportunity. "Do it again, Kadabra!"

His pokémon punched Charles with the power of lightning in the back, making him drop to the ground.

"Come on, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Get up! Use fire blast!"

Charles managed to stand after much struggle. He opened his mouth and fired the blast, hitting Kadabra in the face.

Will said, "Your charizard won't last long. Kadabra! Psychic!"

Kadabra used its mind to lift Charles and smack him against the ground three times.

"Charles! Overheat!" Mewtwo said.

Charles' body glowed bright red as he flew off the ground. He released a powerful beam of orange fire with red rings around it, scorching Kadabra badly. Still, the opponent was able to stand.

"Kadabra! Thunder punch it again!"

Kadabra delivered an uppercut with the power of lightning to Charles' chin, knocking him out.

After recalling Charles, Mewtwo sent out his next pokémon. "Eggs! I choose you!"

Eggs came out, saying his trademark battle cry. "Eggs!"

"Hit Kadabra with wood hammer!"

Eggs grinned at the much shorter, yellow pokémon, then face-planted onto it, knocking it out.

Will recalled Kadabra. "My last pokémon will be … Exeggutor. Go!" After his short exeggutor with very short neck and no tail made its appearance, he added, "I never thought I'd end up seeing both versions of exeggutor facing each other. Well, let's start this with sludge bomb!"

Will's exeggutor bowed and launched six brown blobs of sludge from the middle of its leafy top. The substance hurt Eggs' skin, making him scrunch his eyes.

"Alright, Eggs, let's show Will what you've learned!" Mewtwo said. "Flamethrower!"

Eggs spat out a powerful jet of fire, charring Exeggutor's leaves and setting them ablaze.

"Oh, a burn," Will said. "Hmm, let's see … No, I don't have munch choice. Exeggutor! Sludge bomb it again!"

Exeggutor bowed and threw more of the sludge at Eggs, who started stomping the ground in anger.

Mewtwo knew it was time to put Eggs' mood to use. "Eggs! Outrage!"

Eggs' eyes glowed bright red as an aura of the same color surrounded his body. He ran at Exeggutor and proceeded to smack it around with his tree head until it fainted.

"This match goes to Mewtwo!" the announcer said, causing the crowd to cheer.

After recalling Exeggutor, Will said, "I'm impressed. I have no regrets about being defeated this way. You might just have what it takes to win against ghost type specialist Agatha, and maybe even against the champion. Go on ahead and aim for the stars!"

As Eggs continued to stomp the ground with his feet, Mewtwo said, "We'll keep soaring!" He looked at his pokémon. "Eggs, you can stop now."

* * *

The ten minute break ended, and the next of the Elite Four entered. The announcer said, "Mewtwo will now battle Agatha of the Elite Four!"

Agatha was an elderly woman with shoulder-length blond hair. She wore a dark purple dress with a white apron. Her wooden cane had a gengar head shape at the part of the top, where she rested her left hand. A green scarf decorated her shoulders. "So, you are the pokémon that Oak is sponsoring. That old duff … First he dedicates his time to creating an encyclopedia about pokémon, and now he's sending pokémon as trainers. Unbelievable!"

"Madam, I wouldn't be here if I weren't a capable trainer," Mewtwo said. "My team and I will show you how much we have trained!"

"Fine then," she said, bringing out her first poké ball. "Show me! Your first trial begins with … Gastly! Go!"

A black, levitating ball with two large eyes and a vampiric smile came out of the ball. It emitted a purple gas from its body.

Mewtwo read Agatha's mind. "A ghost-poison type." He brought out his ball with telekinesis. "Golduck! Go!"

Golduck arrived, holding his fists up and ready to fight again. "Gol-duck!"

Agatha pointed at him with her cane. "Gastly! Get him with a giga drain!"

Gastly extended four whips of green light from its back and wrapped them around Golduck, draining his energy for two seconds before releasing him.

"Golduck! Use psychic!" Mewtwo said.

Golduck used his hands to direct his psychic powers toward Gastly, who kept trying to get out of his sight. It got struck by the attack and got its poisonous gas stripped away before being turned into a dark cloud. Once the attack stopped, Gastly pulled itself together and took shape again.

It was Agatha's turn. "Gastly! Hypnosis!"

Her gastly's eyes glowed red. Golduck stared into them, slowly dozing off. In the end he dropped on the ground, snoring with his eyes closed.

Mewtwo smirked. "I bet you weren't expecting this! Golduck! Sleep talk!"

Golduck got up, still with his eyes still closed, and used hydro pump on Gastly, knocking it out.

After recalling Gastly, Agatha sent out her next fighter. "Haunter! Go! Dream eater!"

Haunter – a purple, spiky version of Gastly with a wider mouth and a pair of disembodied hands – launched a semitransparent doppelganger of itself at Golduck. As the duplicate passed through the blue pokémon's body, it took out a red stream of light, weakening Golduck.

"Golduck! Sleep talk again!"

Golduck used psychic on Haunter, scattering its body for two seconds before ceasing the attack.

"Haunter! Dream eater!" Agatha ordered, but Golduck woke up, so Haunter had no way to extract his energy.

"Let's finish him off with psychic!" Mewtwo said.

Golduck caused Haunter to scatter again, making it faint and forcing Agatha to recall it.

"Well, you do know how to fight," Agatha said. "Let's see you deal with this! Gengar! Get out and hit it with toxic!"

Gengar had a wide grin on its face before it spat out purple sludge from is mouth. Golduck got badly poisoned.

Mewtwo knew it was about time to swap Golduck out, so he brought the ball. "That's good enough, Golduck. Come back!" After bringing out another ball, he said, "Charles! It's your turn!"

Charles came out and stared down at Gengar.

"Gengar! Toxic!" Agatha ordered.

Charles flew out of the purple jet's way.

"Nice dodging, Charles!" Mewtwo said. "Now hit Gengar with flamethrower!"

Charles spat out the fire jet, setting Gengar ablaze.

"Gengar! Use toxic once more!"

The ghost pokémon, now on fire, tried to attack, but Charles flew out of the way too fast. Mewtwo was sure it was all thanks to Blaine's training. "Use overheat, Charles!"

His pokémon heated up and fired the beam, making it difficult for Gengar to hold itself together.

Agatha scowled. "Gengar! Night shade!"

Gengar fired a dark red beam from its red eyes. The attack hit and left Charles feeling drained of energy.

"Charles! Flamethrower!"

Charles' attack was enough to knock out the still-burning Gengar, but Charles was barely hanging on.

Agatha recalled her pokémon and brought in her next. "Go, Golbat! Bite it!"

Her golbat flew at Charles and bit his neck, causing him to faint.

After recalling his charizard, Mewtwo knew exactly who to call next. "Vixie! Go and use thunder!"

Vixie came out, charged up, and struck Golbat with her lightning. Agatha could not believe her eyes when she saw her pokémon get instantly knocked out.

"That jolteon … It is so strong! Maybe I have underestimated you and your team. Golbat! Back into your ball! Arbok! Go and shake things up with an earthquake!"

Her arbok came out hissing before it dug into the ground and sent out seismic waves from below, causing Vixie to panic. She was trying to avoid the vibrations by jumping around, but eventually she lost balance and fell, getting hurt by the attack.

"Get up, Vixie!" Mewtwo said. "We can do this! Thunder wave!"

Vixie got back on all fours and shot yellow sparks at Arbok, paralyzing it.

"Arbok! Earthquake!"

Arbok could not obey Agatha's command, as its muscles remained stiff.

"Vixie! Thunder!"

Vixie landed the hit, causing some nasty sores on the opponent's body.

"Arbok! Sludge bomb!" Agatha said.

Arbok managed to move its jaw muscles for enough time to spit out the attack, which landed on Vixie and left her poisoned.

"Not good," Mewtwo said. "But if we can land one more thunder … Vixie! Thunder!"

She charged it up, but the attack missed.

"Oh, darn it!" Mewtwo said, whipping the air with his tail.

"Arbok! Earthquake!" Agatha ordered.

Arbok's muscles unstiffened for a few seconds – just long enough for it to go into the ground and shake it again. This time Vixie managed to jump onto some of the rocks to reduce the intensity of the vibrations during her contact with the ground. In the end she did not get hurt by the attack, but the poison was bringing her down fast.

"Vixie! Thunder!" Mewtwo ordered.

She put all her power into the attack and fired it at Arbok. The strike caused Arbok severe burns and worsened the paralysis.

"Arbok, can you still fight?" Agatha asked.

"Arrbo ..." it said, barely able to even move its head and look at her.

"Arbok is in pain," Mewtwo said. "Please, recall him! I don't want to hurt him more."

She pushed her cane into the ground with both her hands. "Then the battle ends here. Mewtwo, I understand now why Oak saw a good trainer in you." She brought out a ball. "Arbok! Come back!"

"And the winner of this match is … Mewtwo!" the announcer said, the crowd cheering louder than ever.

"Next up is the temporary champion," Agatha said to Mewtwo. "I advise you to be careful when fighting him. He has a really tough set of pokémon, and he's focusing on debuffs a lot. Lance was amazed by the guy's determination too. Do your best, trainer!" She smiled at him before turning around and leaving through the door.

"This is it, Vixie," Mewtwo said, administering her an antidote that he telekinetically took out from his backpack. "You and the rest get another ten minutes break for now, but after that … we'll be facing _him_."

▶ **To be continued.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: The Champion**

The break was almost over. Mewtwo looked at the audience and saw his friends and acquaintances again. He felt their emotional support and knew he made them proud of him. His competitive spirit burned as vigorous as the big flame in the metal bowl on the right side of the arena, at the end of some stairs. _Why did the humans put that flame there anyway?_

Charles rolled on the ground and stretched out. Vixie and Buzz were taking a nap next to each other. Golduck sat in lotus position, meditating. Eggs enjoyed the sunlight, smiling while slowly waving his tree top.

The announcer's voice blared from the speakers of the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Indigo Plateau Conference resumes now with Mewtwo's final hurdle!"

Mewtwo recalled all of his pokémon and resumed his place. The door on the opposite end opened to reveal the blond teenage guy, who had a look of annoyance on his face.

"Mewtwo will now be challenging our temporary champion Slick!" the announcer said. "Will Slick keep his status, or will we get a new temporary champion? Let the battle begin!"

Slick glared at Mewtwo and said, "I was hoping the Elite Four would stop you from getting this far."

Mewtwo grinned. "Well, I'm here, so we might as well start."

"I will make you regret wasting my time!" Slick said as he brought out his first poké ball from his right pocket. "Amp! Go!"

Mewtwo read his mind. "A pure electric type. I don't have any ground types, but I do have … Eggs! Go!"

Eggs came out of his levitating ball and grinned at the opponent. "Eggs!"

Slick snorted a laugh. "Of all the pokémon, you decided to go with a freaking Alolan palm tree? Amp! Dragon pulse!"

A ball of turquoise light formed in front of his ampharos' open mouth. Amp blew air at the ball, sending it toward Mewtwo's exeggutor. The attack landed, and Eggs closed all of his eyes while grimacing due to the pain.

"Good thing Amp's not a dragon type," Mewtwo said. "Let's see … What can we use against Amp? Oh, of course! Earthquake!"

Eggs' tree top faces grinned as he stomped the ground. This was causing Amp quite some discomfort, judging by the creature's yelps and hopping.

"That's nothing!" Slick said. "Amp! Show these clowns your signal beam!"

"Amp!" the ampharos said, fiercely looking at Eggs' top. The red gem on its forehead glowed bright white before launching a rainbow beam at Eggs. The attack made the exeggutor's chest skin very sore.

"A bug type attack," Mewtwo said. "Eggs! Another earthquake!"

Eggs proceeded to jump seven times, hurting Amp with the caused vibrations that went through the ground.

"You do know I was just showing off so far, right?" Slick asked. "The only reason your pokémon is still on the field is because I wasn't taking this battle seriously. Watch this! Amp! Thunder wave!"

Amp released thin streams of lightning from all over its body and sent them at Eggs, paralyzing his muscles.

"Eggs! Try to use earthquake again! It's our best bet!" Mewtwo said.

Eggs couldn't even lift a foot.

Slick had an evil grin on his face. "This is how I roll. Incapacitate and obliterate. Now it's time for Amp to outrage the crap out of your tree."

"Ampha!" Amp said as its eyes glowed red like the aura that surrounded its body. It rampaged toward Eggs, who was unable to move out of the way. The ampharos rammed him with its horns repeatedly before jumping away, barely holding back its fury.

Mewtwo was worried that Eggs would not last long, since outrage was a dragon attack and the ampharos was quite strong. "Eggs! Earthquake!"

Eggs' muscles were still stiff, stopping him from making any moves.

Slick crossed his arms and shrugged. "Heh, I'll just let Amp do his thing."

Amp resumed ramming Eggs with his horns until the latter fainted and was recalled by Mewtwo.

"Your pokémon really is tough," Mewtwo said. "Vixie! Go! Dig!"

Vixie came out, landed on the ground, and dug away.

"Oh yeah? We'll just bulldoze it when it comes back out!" Slick said.

Amp was dizzy from the outrage, so he couldn't get out of the way when Vixie came at him with the soil and smacked him.

"Amp! Bulldoze!"

The ampharos focused on the task and managed to create a small earthquake by stomping the ground. This hurt Vixie a bit.

"Vixie! Dig again!" Mewtwo ordered.

Vixie disappeared into the ground. Meanwhile, Amp was still confused. He got hit by Vixie again.

"Let's share the confusion, Amp! Confuse ray!" Slick said.

Amp's tail orb glowed bright white, giving Vixie dizziness.

"Vixie! Dig again!"

Vixie tried to follow Mewtwo's order, but she lost her balance and fell on the ground, hurting herself.

"Bulldoze it and let's get this match moving," Slick said, looking bored.

Amp snapped out of his confusion and stomped the ground. The vibrations hurt Vixie severely since her body was so close to the ground.

Mewtwo hoped that his jolteon would snap out of her confusion too. "Vixie! Try to dig!"

Vixie barely managed to get up. She dug a hole, but her dizziness caused her to make a mistake, and some of the ground fell on her. She dug her way out, then tripped over her own legs. "Jolol ..."

"Just tackle it and let's move on already!" Slick said, looking displeased.

Amp rammed Vixie with his head. She fainted and was recalled.

Mewtwo had a worried look on his face. _That pokémon is so strong! What can I do? Who should I sent out next?_

"You better hurry and pick your next pokémon," Slick said. "You only have twenty seconds for that, you know."

After bringing out a ball, Mewtwo said, "Charles! I choose you!"

"If it isn't that weird charizard of yours! Amp will zap it until it's fried."

"Charles! Earthquake!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles flew up high, then landed with full force onto the ground, shaking it so hard that Amp tripped and fell.

Slick growled in frustration while holding his hands' fingers arched like claws. "Amp! Paralyze it with thunder wave!"

Amp released the small lightning streams, but Charles avoided them by flying chaotically through the arena.

"It's our turn! We'll avenge Eggs and Vixie! Charles, another earthquake!"

Mewtwo's charizard flew up high again and landed heavily on the ground. The shock wave was strong enough to make Amp faint.

Slick glared at Mewtwo, then brought out a ball. "Amp, get in!" After Amp returned, he exchanged him with his next pokémon. "Misdreavus! Get out there and hit it with a thunderbolt!"

Misdreavus came out of its ball. It was bluish-green, looking like a floating head with eight stubby appendages forming a skirt under the red necklace that decorated its neck. The top of the creature's head had seven wavy hair strands with pink tips.

Mewtwo had never seen such strange pokémon. He read Slick's mind to find out more. "It's a pure ghost type. I don't really have anything to counter that."

Misdreavus launched a lightning bolt from its body. It struck Charles, causing him some pain.

"Charles! Fire blast!" Mewtwo ordered.

His charizard spat out the attack, but was unsuccessful in landing it on Misdreavus, who dodged.

It was Slick's turn. "Misdreavus, shadow ball!"

Misdreavus fired the red and black orb at Charles, hurting him and causing his body to gain a black aura.

Mewtwo knew this meant his pokémon was now weaker to special attacks. "Charles, we need a more accurate attack. Go for flamethrower!"

Charles scorched Misdreavus with his fire jet. A small flame remained burning on top of the ghost pokémon's head.

"Drat!" Slick said, scowling. "That burn's gonna cost me. Misdreavus! Thunder!"

Charles saw the attack just in time and flew out of the lightning strike's way.

His trainer said, "Try a fire blast! You have a perfect view from up there."

Charles spat out the blast and successfully hit Misdreavus, knocking it out and getting it recalled.

Slick prepared the next ball. "Go, Nine! Prepare a nasty plot!"

A ninetales came out of the ball, its eyes shining bright red as it stared at Charles.

"I guess it's our turn," Mewtwo said. "Charles! Earthquake!"

Charles flew up high and landed, shaking the ground under Nine's feet. The vibrations hurt Nine a bit.

Slick grinned. "That's one attack we won't have to worry about now. Nine, disable."

Nine spread its nine tails as a blue aura came from its body. The same type of aura appeared around Charles' body too.

"Oh, no, not disable!" Mewtwo said. He remembered how much trouble Golduck had caused him with that. "Well, what else we could try? Charles! Dig!"

Charles dug into the ground and tried to hit Nine, but the ninetales jumped out of the way before he could hit it.

"Disable of course," Slick said, looking to the side with half-closed eyes.

Mewtwo glared at him. "Charles! Focus blast!"

Charles landed the attack, hurting Nine, but not enough to knock it out or even make it tired.

At that point Slick was inspecting his right hand's nails. "Disable that too, Nine."

Mewtwo now was unable to order Charles to use earthquake, dig, or focus blast. "I guess we're only left with your fire and flying type moves if we want any high damage output. Charles! Use fly!"

Charles flew to the sky and tried to land over Nine, but the ninetales dodged.

Slick snapped his fingers. "Disable again."

"Will you quit blocking them?" Mewtwo said. "Charles! Aerial ace!"

Charles flew at Nine while white streaks were emitted from his body. The attack could not be avoided.

Slick maintained his calmness. "Disable."

 _Of course it got disabled._ "Wing attack!" Mewtwo ordered.

Charles' wings glowed bright white as he flew at Nine, but missed.

"Add to the disabled list," Slick said before yawning.

"Why, you ..." Mewtwo said. "Charles! Overheat!"

Charles heated up his body before spitting out the powerful fire beam. When the attack hit Nine, it simply got absorbed, leaving the ninetales standing there as if nothing had happened.

Mewtwo's jaw dropped. "But … But … How are we supposed to fight now?"

"It's not my job to help you figure that out," Slick said. "Nine, hyper beam!"

Nine breathed out a powerful orange beam of light at Charles. It did not knock him out, but he had sore skin all over his body.

Mewtwo frowned. "There's nothing we can use against them. But since Nine must rest, I could take advantage of the situation. Charles, swap out with Golduck!"

Charles went back into his ball, and got replaced by an eager to battle Golduck. "Gold!"

A screen on the left side of the arena counted Charles as eliminated, as per Indigo Plateau Conference rules.

"Oh, crap," Slick said when he realized that his tired pokémon was the sitting duck in this situation.

Mewtwo ordered, "Golduck! Waterfall!"

Golduck summoned the water from the ground of the arena and sent it down like a waterfall over Nine, soaking the fox pokémon.

"Nine! Disable that!"

Nine disabled Golduck's waterfall.

Mewtwo grinned. "I intentionally ordered a less powerful water attack. Golduck did quite some damage, and you used your disable. Golduck! Disable Nine's disable!"

Golduck did as told.

Slick stomped the ground with his right foot as he ranted. "What?! Did you just pull that one on me?! Oh, you think you're real clever with that crap. Let me show you what happens when Nine goes on the offensive. Nine! There's lots of sunlight to gather. Solar beam that golduck into oblivion!"

Nine opened its mouth wide, showing its sharp teeth. It then breathed out a golden beam of light that struck Golduck in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Mewtwo reached out with his right hand. "Golduck!"

His pokémon slowly got up again and faced the opponent while panting.

"Hit Nine with hydro pump and this round's ours!" Mewtwo said.

Golduck opened his mouth and spat the powerful water jet at Nine, who couldn't jump out of the way in time. Nine fainted and was recalled.

Slick prepared his next pokémon. "Weavile! Get out there and show that golduck a throat chop!"

Mewtwo's eyes widened. "A _what_?!"

Weavile came out of its ball. Its right hand's claws gained a purple glow as it grabbed Golduck by the throat and threw him to the ground. Golduck fainted.

"Dark-ice type," Mewtwo said after reading Slick's mind. He brought out a ball. "Golduck, come back!" Once Golduck was safely tucked away, Mewtwo prepared the next ball. "Buzz! We're counting on you! Weavile is weak to bug attacks. What such attacks do you know?"

Buzz rubbed his head with his right arm's stinger. "Bzzz ... z-zz zzzz!"

"X-scissor? Alright, do that then!"

Buzz flew at Weavile with his needles glowing bright green. Once he got close enough, he crossed them as he hit the opponent's head. This left Weavile with a strong headache.

"Stupid little bug!" Slick said. "Weavile! Psycho cut!"

Weavile's hands glowed violet as it clawed at Buzz, leaving nasty scratches on the beedrill's chest and abdomen.

"Hang on, Buzz! I'm trying to think of something." Mewtwo's eyes shifted as he thought up a plan. "You can't defeat that weavile, but you could weaken it a bit for me. Try to land a toxic on it!"

Buzz nodded and flew closer to Weavile before attacking it with the poison jets from his stingers. This left the opponent poisoned.

"Heh, you're so stubborn, Mewtwo," Slick said. "I still have two well-rested pokémon other than the one on the battlefield, and now you'll only be left with one. Weavile, you can remove that bug with psycho cut now."

Weavile attacked again, knocking Buzz out with a slash of its claws.

Mewtwo brought out Buzz's ball. "You did great, Buzz. Now it's time for you to rest." After his beedrill returned, Mewtwo locked eyes with Slick.

The teenager smirked. "What are you waiting for, Mewtwo? Choose the pokémon you will remember for being there during your last loss!"

"I would have sent out a different pokémon for this battle," Mewtwo said, "but since he is still recovering and cannot participate, I will do battle in his stead." He stepped onto the battlefield.

Slick almost lost his balance. "You?! Wait a second! Isn't that against the rules?"

"The rules state that only pokémon may battle. Since I _am_ a pokémon, this should be perfectly within the rules."

"This is crazy," Slick said.

Mewtwo smiled. "I will fight for my team as they've fought for me. We are in this together!" Each of his thighs and lower arms gained a pair of blue glowing horizontal stripes. Each of his shoulders also showed one stripe reaching toward his chest. A light of a similar glow enveloped his body as he grew slightly taller.

Slick took two steps back. "What is happening?"

Kohaku stared while leaving his mouth wide open. "Could this be …?"

When the light dissipated in what looked almost like blue fireworks, Mewtwo revealed his new form. His now thicker lower arms and his thighs each had two horizontal protrusions in places of the stripes. He gained a scarf-like, purple, thick growth that went over his shoulders. Behind his neck he had two tubes instead of one. His ears were curved upwards, almost like horns. His formerly purple eyes became dark blue. His tail was now shorter, stiffer, with a tip curled toward his back. The toes of his feet were longer too. He looked at his hands, then fist-pumped into the air. "I have evolved into Mewthree!"

"It's mega evolution!" Kohaku said. "I thought those were just Khalos legends. This must be that special power Giovanni asked Doctor Fuji to add."

Slick's eyes shifted from side to side. "Okay … What now?"

Mewtwo stopped celebrating. "Right. The battle must go on. I'll start off with … focus blast!" He formed the blue orb of light between his hands and blasted Weavile with it. An instant knockout.

"The hell …?" Slick said, bringing out a ball. "Weavile, come back!" He brought out his next ball. "Go, Gengar, I guess. Try … Try shooting a shadow ball at it."

Gengar put its hands together, formed a black and purple ball between them, and fired it at Mewtwo.

The attack hurt Mewtwo, but he knew that he had the upper hand. "Your gengar is weak to psychic attacks. Those are my specialty." He raised his right hand to control which way he threw Gengar while holding the pokémon in his psychic grip.

Slick was growling. "Gengar! Shadow ball again!"

Gengar struck Mewtwo with the attack, but that still wasn't enough damage to severely weaken him.

"I will use psychic again," Mewtwo said. He held back some of his force, trying not to hurt the gengar too much, yet he still ended up knocking it out.

"This just isn't fair!" Slick said. "Gengar, get back here!" After his pokémon returned, he brought out his last ball. "Go, Lugia!"

Lugia materialized as a feathery, silver creature, twice taller than Mewtwo, with a large wingspan formed by a pair of arms ending in five fingers each. Its neck was long, ending in a head with a pointy crest and two triangular, long, blue horns extending from its eyebrows. The creature's back had five blue plates on each side. Its abdomen was azure with a v-shape of silver feathers cutting into its top. Its long tail's tip had a pair of blue triangular protrusions – one on the left and one on the right. The creature's legs seemed pretty strong, and ended in feet with three toes. It levitated in place while holding its wings spread out.

Slick looked at Mewtwo. "Uh … what am I supposed to use against you? What type are you anyway?" He used his pokédex on him, but received no information.

Mewtwo brought out his own pokédex, and it said, "Mega mewtwo X. The genetic pokémon. A mega evolution of Mewtwo. Its types are: psychic and fighting. This form was coded into mewtwo's DNA to be activated by a strong bond between trainer and pokémon. Its physical power is greatly increased in this form."

"Fighting type, huh?" Slick asked. "Just perfect for my lugia to tear you down with its flying moves! Lugia! Hurricane!"

That was when Mewtwo realized the disadvantage of his new form. "How do I change back?"

Lugia spread its wings and flew to the top of the arena before flapping them to create a powerful tornado that engulfed Mewtwo. The entire battlefield got covered by a sandstorm.

Yan yelled, "Oh, no! Mewtwo!"

Lugia stopped stirring the wind. The dust settled, revealing Mewtwo on the ground, on his belly.

The genetic pokémon opened his eyes and grimaced. "That … was one strong attack." He pushed himself off the ground and resumed standing position, yet dizziness made it difficult for him to maintain balance. "So, that pokémon is flying type. Does it have a second type?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Slick said, then displayed his mischievous grin.

"I'll just check your mind for the answer," Mewtwo said.

Slick frowned after hearing that. "Darn."

Still fighting the dizziness, the genetic pokémon finished reading the guy's mind. "A psychic-flying type. So, that means it's weak to ghost, dark, electric, rock, ice, and bug attacks. That's a lot of weaknesses."

"You know, your pokémon were quieter than you. Are we going to continue this battle, or do I get declared the winner because my opponent won't make a move?"

"Alright, alright!" Mewtwo said. He put his hands close to each other and formed a black orb surrounded by a bright blue aura. "Here's a shadow ball!" He threw it at Lugia's chest, making the creature screech upon being hit.

Slick ordered, "Lugia! Aeroblast!"

Lugia took in air, gathering blue sparks of light inside its mouth. Then it blew out a bright blue beam filled with the power of wind. The attack struck Mewtwo so hard his body made a hole shaped like him in the ground.

"Your turn, Mewtwo," Slick said before smiling smugly.

The genetic pokémon used his psychic power to lift himself into the air. "I'll … attack with thunder this time." He raised his right hand high and manipulated the clouds with his mind. There was lightning forming within those clouds, as he could tell by the orange lights glowing through them. All he had to do was direct the strike. Before he could do so, his dizziness got in his way, causing him to lose his grip on the lightning. It ended up striking him. He coughed out some soot. "Well, that didn't go as planned."

Slick pointed at him and laughed.

Mewtwo crossed his arms. "Ahem! It's your turn."

"Yay, free turn! Lugia! Aeroblast him again!"

Lugia prepared the attack while Mewtwo planned his next move. The beam was fired at him, and he couldn't avoid it due to still being dizzy. His body made a new hole in the battlefield.

"I wish I hadn't evolved," Mewtwo said, telekinetically lifting himself off the ground again. His skin was sore all over, but at least his dizziness went away. "I will recover some of my vitality." He closed his eyes and emitted a green field of energy from his body, healing all of his wounds save for a scratch on his tail's middle. "That feels much better."

Slick shook his fist at him. "You want to drag this match on, huh? Lugia! Recover!"

His Lugia flew up high and sung as its body emitted a bright green aura. It healed itself completely.

"This is my chance!" Mewtwo said. He raised his right hand and manipulated the clouds again. "I will use thunder!" He brought down the strike from the clouds, successfully hitting Lugia with it.

Lugia screeched as it fell, landing heavily on the battlefield. Its muscles were stiffened due to paralysis.

"Lugia! Get up and hit him with a sky attack!" Slick ordered.

His pokémon tried to get up, but its muscles either weren't responding or merely twitched.

Mewtwo put his hands close to each other. "I will attack with shadow ball." He formed the ghost-energy orb and threw it at Lugia, sending the pokémon tumbling over a short distance. Its body gained a black aura.

"Lugia! Use sky attack already!"

Lugia managed to get up. Its legs' muscles continued to twitch, but that didn't stop it from jumping and flying up high. It came down surrounded by a thick blue aura and landed over Mewtwo, pushing him into the ground before jumping off him.

Mewtwo opened his eyes and found himself in yet another hole shaped like him in the ground. _The pain … Maybe I should accept defeat. Lugia counters my typing with such ease … But I sense the minds of my friends. They still hope that I can do it. I don't want to disappoint them. I'll fight until I'm drained of energy!_ He levitated toward the sky and summoned another lightning strike. "Thunder!"

Lugia was paralyzed and could not avoid the attack. It got severely hurt because of the lowered special defense.

"No!" Slick said. "Lugia! You can't lose! I didn't get you this far just to lose to a pokémon over which you have type advantage! Get up and strike him with aeroblast!"

Lugia succeeded in lifting its head and breathing out the bright blue beam, but Mewtwo levitated out of the attack's way.

Slick stomped the ground with his right foot. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Mewtwo raised his right hand. "My attack will be thunder this time as well." He directed the attack at Lugia, but the creature rolled away before it could get struck.

"Lugia! Recover! It's our last chance!"

Lugia succeeded in healing itself, although the recover technique could not remove the paralysis effect plaguing it.

"I'm calling down the thunder again," Mewtwo said, sending the strike at the opposing pokémon.

Lugia tried to move out of the lightning's way, but its muscles stiffened again. It got struck in a weak spot of its abdomen, receiving critical damage and fainting.

"What?!" Slick said, staring in disbelief at his defeated pokémon.

The announcer said, "Slick is out of usable pokémon! Our new temporary champion is … Mewtwo!"

The crowd cheered and applauded. Omy climbed on top of Professor Oak's head and waved his tentacles. Yan shouted, "Congratz, Mewtwo!"

Slick lowered his head so that his cap hid most of his face except for his grimacing mouth. "This … is taurosshit."

Mewtwo landed next to him. "Hey, cheer up, Slick. You can try again next year."

Slick pointed and glared at him. "This is utter, inexcusable taurosshit! I'm not allowed to fight on the battlefield like you just did! It's unfair!"

"We both used no more than six pokémon, didn't we?"

"But I wasn't one of the pokémon on my team! Gah, forget it! I'm out of here. This tournament's loopholes ruined everything!" With that, Slick stomped away toward the door leading to the reception.

The announcer said, "It appears that there is only one trainer left that could challenge Mewtwo. Verdi Cameron is in the last chamber of Victory Road's cave."

The large screen on the left of the arena showed a green-haired teenage boy and his honchkrow as they made their way through the cave. They almost reached the exit, but a huge, silver creature came out of the ground and blocked their way. It looked like an onix with a flat head without a crest. Large spikes jutted from the sides of some segments of its body.

"Verdi has battled his way up to this point. Only his honchkrow is still able to battle. Will he get past this last obstacle?"

Verdi sent out his honchkrow, but the wild pokémon threw rocks at it. The honchkrow was knocked to the ground, wrapping its wings around itself.

"Things aren't looking so good for Verdi and his honchkrow."

Verdi pointed at the opponent while issuing an order to his pokémon. The honchkrow's claws glowed bright orange as it struck the wild pokémon in the face.

The onix-like creature slammed its tail into the ground and caused blue, spiky rocks to jut out, striking the honchkrow and leaving it squawking near its trainer.

Verdi was wondering if he should recall his honchkrow before a roar caught his and the opponent's attention. They all looked at the entrance for a second before the wild pokémon dug its way into the ground.

"It appears that something has interrupted the battle," the announcer said, "but Verdi's honchkrow may no longer be able to fight. Verdi might not reach the Indigo Plateau before his last pokémon faints."

Verdi picked up his pokémon in his arms and tried to carry it outside, but after hearing the roars and noticing that his honchkrow had fallen asleep, he decided to not go out there. Instead, he turned around and went back to the depths of the cave.

"Verdi is out! That leaves Mewtwo as the official Pokémon League Champion of this year! Congratulations, Mewtwo!"

The crowd cheered, whistled, and applauded.

"We did it!" Mewtwo said, jumping while holding his right fist up. "We won the championship!"

Charles came out of his poké ball, landed next to him, and celebrated by blowing fire jets toward the sky.

* * *

Giovanni smiled while watching the video feed on his large monitor. "He's just as powerful as I imagined he would be. Doctor Fuji did a great job."

"Sian!" his persian said, enjoying some stroking on the head while sitting in Giovanni's lap.

* * *

Giovanni's camera drone ended up being snatched by a charizard that crushed it in its mouth.

"What is going on up there?" the announcer asked.

The charizard spat out pieces of the camera and stared at the two pokémon that stood in the middle of the arena. It sniffed the air, then descended while roaring loudly.

The announcer's voice became shaky. "Is that the rampaging charizard? T-the one that's been terrorizing Kanto?"

The charizard landed in front of Charles and sniffed him before growling.

Among the gym leaders sat Jessie and James, the former having shoulder-length hair and the latter having his tied in a ponytail. From between them, Meowth revealed himself when he stood on the tips of his feet to get a better look at the arena. He said, "That must be the charizard that escaped from Team Rocket. It's asking Charles why they smell alike."

The charizard pointed at Charles. "Charizard char rar zard! Chaaaraaa!"

Meowth continued to translate. "It said it wants answers. And it wants them now."

Mewtwo walked up to the charizard, which was slightly shorter than him but the same height as Charles. "Are you the charizard that Charles was cloned from?"

The charizard blew fire at him, but Mewtwo blocked the flames with his psychic powers. This caused the aggressive pokémon to roar.

"Calm down!" Mewtwo said while his eyes glowed bright blue. "Nobody is going to hurt you."

The charizard's focus shifted between Mewtwo and Charles from time to time.

"Everything's going to be alright, Charizard. Just let me read your mind."

As the furious pokémon continued to growl, Mewtwo navigated through Charizard's memories. He saw everything that he had seen within Charles' mind, but also some other events related to this creature's training. There were moments when, as a charmander, Charizard had to endure hunger for an entire day for losing a battle. Sometimes he was strapped to a table while some Team Rocket scientists hooked wires to his skin and shocked him repeatedly. There were memories of what happened past the blood extraction, when Charizard had evolved from charmander into charmeleon and was put into much more brutal fights against vaporeon and blastoise. At some point, when he evolved into charizard, he became so disobedient and violent that he had been forced into a high security glass cage.

"I'm sorry that you went through all that," Mewtwo said. "You're safe now. Team Rocket has been disbanded. But … how did you get out of that prison anyway?"

"Zarzar rizar char," Charizard said.

"What did he say?" James asked.

Meowth proceeded to translate. "He said some moron opened his cage."

James scowled. "Is that what he thinks about my former colleague?" He shook his right fist at the charizard. "Ungrateful bastard!"

Meowth grabbed James by the arm. "Lay low, dumbass! That charizard might recognize you. He's out for Team Rocket blood."

"Someone let you out?" Mewtwo asked. He searched through Charizard's recent memories. That was when he found out who was responsible for the creature's freedom. It was Mitch. The guy had freed the other pokémon from their cages and, after making sure they had safely left through the tunnel along with his own pokémon, he decided to free Charizard too. Once Mitch managed to open the cage's door, he looked at Charizard and said, "Y-you're free now. W-why aren't you l-leaving?" A bright orange light reflected off the guy's face as fear could be read in his wide eyes, an image of flames dancing within their pupils.

In the present time, Charizard found himself suspended in mid air while Mewtwo held out his right hand with fingers curved inward.

"He did not deserve that!" Mewtwo said, glaring daggers at the yelping charizard. He could barely hold back from using his psychic powers to crush the beast there and then.

"Is he gonna execute that thing?" Meowth asked.

"I know I would if given the chance," James said, giving the charizard a nasty look while clenching his fists.

Mewtwo continued to hold Charizard up in the air, wondering what to do with him. Then he got hit by a blue ball of light that dragged him from the center of the field all the way to the end of its length. When the dust settled, he found himself on his back, on the ground. His body glowed bright blue before returning to its old form.

Charles watched as his original flew to the right of the creature that had attacked his trainer. The attacker was a pokémon five times shorter than Mewtwo, entirely pink and fuzzy, with small, pointy ears, short arms, long legs, and a very long, thin tail ending in an ovoid tip. Its eyes were large, with blue irises. It had no visible nostrils, just a small mouth forming a short snout.

Mewtwo used telekinesis to lift himself up so he could get a better look at the strange little being in front of him. "Who are you?"

The pink creature scowled at him and, in a squeaky voice, said, "Mew."

▶ **To be continued.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: The Originals**

"Am I dreaming?" Kohaku asked while the other spectators were slowly leaving their seats and sneaking away. "A living, breathing mew! It looks exactly the way the carvings depicted it in the shrine!"

Mew continued to give Mewtwo a piercing stare while emitting a muffled mix of mewing and growling.

Mewtwo squinted at him. "You say you came here to protect your friend?"

The pink pokémon nodded. "Mew!"

The ferocious charizard roared while flying around him.

"Listen, Mew … that charizard killed the human who freed him. Once Charizard found himself free, he went on a rampage, attacking random people. Do you expect me to let that slide? I wasn't going to kill your friend. I just didn't want to risk the lives of these humans and pokémon you see around us."

"Mew mew-mew me-me-mew mewww!" Mew said. "Mew me-mew mew mew mew! Mew mew mew-me!" He flew in an up-pointing triangle path, then put his left paw over his left eye.

"What is it saying?" Jessie asked.

Meowth told her, "He said that the 'mean humans' caused Charizard only pain. Then he said those 'mean humans' stole something Mew gifted to 'good humans' who had built him a shrine. His eyelash was the gift."

Mew turned around to glare at Kohaku. "Mewww!"

Kohaku gasped.

Mew formed a blue ball of light between his hands and threw it at him. The ball was intercepted by Mewtwo's shadow ball, making both of the attacks explode safely in the air.

"Mew! Enough!" Mewtwo said, teleporting in front of Mew. "That human isn't evil. He was only doing his job. He is fascinated by the legends humans have told about you."

"Mew meww mew-me-mew mew-mew!"

Mewtwo squinted at him. "You say that anyone associated with Team Rocket is not pure of heart?"

"Mew! Mew me-mew, mew-mew mee mew-me-me meww!" Mew said while pointing at Mewtwo.

"As their creation, even I am not pure of heart? Mew, everyone has flaws. But humans and pokémon can change. There is no pure good person, and some may be worse than others. That doesn't mean they do not deserve to live. Team Rocket has been disbanded. They will no longer cause trouble."

Mew pointed at Charles. "Me me-me-mew-mew mew me-mew meww me mew!"

"So what if we're clones built by Team Rocket for their nefarious plans? We refused our purpose and chose our own paths in life. Well, Ho-Oh kind of inspired me to become a pokémon master, but the journey shaped us. And it was because of us that Team Rocket got disbanded."

"Mew mew mew, me-me-me meww mew me-mew!"

"You say that we have no place in this world because we were created through unnatural means? But why does it have to be that way?"

Mew waved his arms up and down. "Mew-mew me mew me-mew-mew mewww mew meww! Mew-mew me me-me-mew-mew me me-me!"

"The world is crashing down because of humans' creations? We clones bring further imbalance? We are not tools! The humans are not using us! We are alive, and we deserve to live just as much as natural-born pokémon do!"

Charizard roared and flew at Charles. The latter flew out of the way and hit Charizard with a wing attack.

Mew pointed at Charles. "Mew me-me-mew-mew meww mew mew!"

Mewtwo chuckled. "Unnaturally fast reflexes? It took a lot of physical training for Charles to even become so agile! He used to be a fat slob."

"Zaaar!" Charles said, giving Mewtwo a nasty look.

"Hey, you know it's true, buddy. You couldn't even fly when you evolved."

Charles blushed and looked away.

Mew shook his head. "Mew mew me-me-mew mew mew-me-me mew mew mewww, mew-mew."

Mewtwo's eyes widened. "What do you mean you and Charizard have to 'do the responsible thing'? Hold on! Y-you guys want to … eliminate us?"

Mew nodded while closing his eyes.

"That's not fair!" Mewtwo said.

Mew opened his eyes and stared at Mewtwo again. "Meww mee mew mew mew-meww! Mew mew meww me-mewww!"

Mewtwo's mouth remained open after hearing that.

"Damn, that's harsh," Meowth said.

"What did Mew say?" James asked.

"Mew and Charizard were born in this world first, and they think they have won their places. They think their clones occupy places they neither deserve nor fit in."

Mew encased himself inside a pink ball of light and flew at Mewtwo, who teleported out of his way.

Mewtwo reappeared a bit further away. "Mew! Isn't there any other way for us to earn our stay in this world?"

Mew didn't even care about talking thinks out. He formed a blue ball of light and threw it at Mewtwo, who formed a blue sphere of light around himself to defend against the attack.

"That pokémon seems very powerful," Oak said. Omy was still on his head, looking at Mewtwo with concern.

"We should get out of here," Jessie said. She and James tried to slowly tiptoe away.

Meowth grabbed them by their shirts with his paws' claws. "Oh, no ya don't! We can't leave Mewtwo behind!"

"That pink furball could blast us to bits!" James said.

"Or send the charizard after us," Jessie added.

"If it weren't for Mewtwo, we wouldn't be gym leaders livin' the high life!" Meowth said, pulling them back.

Mewtwo used his psychic power to put his backpack in a corner of the arena so his weakened pokémon would remain safe. Then he encased himself inside the blue sphere of light again and tried to push Mew to the ground. Mew formed his own pink barrier sphere and pushed back at him.

"Mew! Please stop this pointless fighting!" Mewtwo said. "Innocent bystanders might get hurt!"

Charles was flying around, screaming while Charizard chomped down on Charles' tail.

Mew stopped emitting the pink barrier and brought his hands together to form a purple and black ball. "Mewww!" He threw it at Mewtwo and it broke through his blue barrier, hitting him in the face.

Mewtwo fell to the ground, exhausted. He partially opened his eyes to see Mew stare down at him.

Mew looked at Charizard and said, "Me-me-mew! Meww mew mew-mew!"

Charizard released Charles' tail and flew to the right of Mew.

"Please stop, guys," Mewtwo said.

Mew and Charizard teamed up and flew at Mewtwo. Mew prepared a shadow ball in his arms while Charizard glowed bright red.

Charles flew in front of them while his makings gained a blue glow. His body ended up glowing in that color too. He spread his wings out to their maximum wingspan and roared as he morphed. When the glow faded away, he revealed his new form. His skin was charcoal black, the underside of his now frilly wings became sapphire, and the back and front of each of his shoulders had a spike curved inward with a blue tip. His tail flame became blue, similar to the flames he had gained at the corners of his mouth. His irises turned red and became wider. Each of his horns split into a large, upward curved one with blue tip and a smaller, fully black one under it. An azure color covered his entire underside. He took both the shadow ball and the overheat attack and endured them.

"Another mega evolution!" Kohaku said.

"Charles!" Mewtwo yelled.

Charles took a glance at him, then focused on Mew and Charizard again. "Zaaar!"

Mew and Charizard flew at him. Mew surrounded himself in the pink barrier while Charizard went for a wing attack.

Charles dodged their attacks and tried to hit them by spitting out blue jets of flame. They dodged his attacks as well.

Mewtwo levitated until he was at Charles' side. "Thanks for shielding me, buddy! Neat evolution!"

Charles nodded at him. "Zar."

"I'll take Mew on. You deal with Charizard."

They flew at their opponents and faced them. Mew attacked Mewtwo with a shadow ball but missed. He dodged Mewtwo's shadow ball. Charizard hit Charles with his blue-glowing tail. The attack hurt Charles' back, leaving his skin sore.

Yan held onto a chair from the bleacher while his father kept trying to take him away by the left arm. "I'm not leaving, Dad! Mewtwo's my friend!"

"Yan! Don't be stupid!" his father said. "You don't have any strong pokémon to intervene!"

Nutcracker looked at Yan and at the battling pokémon. He really wanted to do something, but he needed Yan to give the order.

Yan's mother grabbed the youngster by the other arm. "We can't stay here!"

Both parents pulled so hard that Yan ended up tearing the chair away. Nutcracker followed them while giving side glances to the battle that still went on.

Mewtwo was hit by a shadow ball and got sent flying into the bowl of fire. When he landed, the flame got extinguished under his body. "What a bad day."

"Mewtwo!" Yan yelled. "Nutcracker! Scratch mom and dad!"

"What?!" his parents said.

The raticate jumped at them and scratched their arms, forcing them to let go of their son.

Now freed, Yan jumped over the chairs in an attempt to get to Mewtwo. Nutcracker followed him.

Mewtwo saw that Mew and Charizard were ganging up on Charles, so he flew high and called the thunder down on Charizard. The attack hurt the aggressive pokémon, but Charizard was still up for a fight.

Mew looked at his partner and said, "Me-me-mew! Mew me!"

Charizard nodded.

Charles tried to hit Charizard with a blue flamethrower, but missed as Mew and Charizard teamed up against Mewtwo.

"Can't you guys fight fair?" Mewtwo asked as he emitted a new barrier.

Mew threw another shadow ball at him, breaking the barrier and allowing Charizard to hit Mewtwo with a wing attack.

Mewtwo crashed near the arena's center. "Ow! My back!" He used recover to heal himself, but once he finished he realized that Mew and Charizard were preparing to fire hyper beams at him.

Charles flew behind the angry duo and smacked them both with his wings, distracting them. This caused Mew and Charizard to chase him above the arena. Mewtwo took advantage of the diversion and used psychic to pull Charizard away. When Mew saw what Mewtwo was doing, he focused on Charles and breathed a multicolored beam of light at him. The beam hurt Charles' right wing, causing him to crash into the ground.

"Leave Charles alone!" Mewtwo said, throwing Charizard at Mew with his telekinesis.

Mew used psychic to stop Charizard from hitting him. They both turned to face Mewtwo and charged up hyper beams together.

Mewtwo considered teleporting out of the way, but then realized that the beams would hit Charles instead. He formed a barrier around himself and endured the attacks, even though the barrier broke. Knowing that hyper beam exhausted pokémon after use, he took the opportunity to summon lightning to strike Charizard. His attack hit, angering Mew enough to throw a shadow ball at Mewtwo. The genetic pokémon teleported out of the way and reappeared behind Mew, firing his own shadow ball and hitting Mew.

Charles joined Mewtwo in the air. Mew and Charizard looked at each other and nodded.

"Charles! They're going for you! Watch out!" Mewtwo said.

Mew's body glowed bright white before he changed into a copy of Charles in mega evolution form. He and Charizard flew past Mewtwo and chased Charles around for a while before breathing multicolored beams of light from their mouths. The attacks hit Charles at the same time, sending him falling.

Mewtwo used his psychic power to slow down Charles' fall and gently place him on the ground. After glowing bright blue for a second, Charles' body returned to its old form and color.

Mew transformed himself into a honchkrow and squawked at Charizard. They flew up high and locked eyes with Mewtwo.

"You are such cowards," Mewtwo said. "Two against one proves nothing! Mew, if you want to prove you're better, then fight me alone!"

Mew returned to his original aspect. "Mew me-me mew mew meww mew me mew! Mew mew mew!"

Mewtwo tilted his head to the right. "You want us to battle without using special powers?" He pointed at Mew. "Alright. I accept your challenge. Join me on the battlefield!"

They landed on the ground while Charizard watched them from above.

Omy kept trying to escape from Oak's arms. "Om! Om! Omanyyyy!"

"No, Omy!" the professor said. "It's too dangerous to go there!"

Meowth looked at Mewtwo and Mew while frowning. "Is there really no other way to solve this?"

"Come on, Mew!" Mewtwo said while spreading his arms out. "Do your worst!"

Mew glared before charging toward him by running on all fours. He climbed over Mewtwo's legs and delivered an uppercut to the genetic pokémon's chin. Then he jumped away.

"For such a small pokémon, you sure hit hard," Mewtwo said while adjusting his lower jaw with his right hand.

Mew giggled at him.

Mewtwo prepared to sprint. "It's my turn now!" He ran on two legs and jumped on top of Mew, almost crushing him under his weight.

Mew scratched at him before slipping away and whipping Mewtwo's back with his tail once.

"I'll show you!" Mewtwo said. He used his right fist to punch Mew away, but he did not expect Mew to bite his fist. "Ow! You little ..."

Mew let him go and climbed onto Mewtwo's shoulders. Once there, he tried to wrap his tail around the genetic pokémon's neck. Mewtwo grabbed Mew by the tail and threw him onto the ground.

Meowth climbed on top of the chair in front of him and prepared to jump away.

"Meowth! Where are you going?" Jessie asked.

James added, "Are you nuts?!"

Meowth looked at them with a scowl. "These fools are gonna kill each other! Someone's gotta settle this for them. Even if that someone's just a measly meowth." He jumped over the chairs and headed for the arena.

Mewtwo and Mew were both panting, barely standing. They charged and punched each other in the face. Even as they fell to the ground, Mew bit Mewtwo's right arm and got dragged by Mewtwo, who managed to pin him down with his left hand. Mew released Mewtwo's arm from his jaws and proceeded to claw at Mewtwo's other arm with his feet. Mewtwo released him and ended up with Mew jumping at his face and scratching it. At that moment Mew succeeded in wrapping his tail around Mewtwo's neck, squeezing it tight. In response, Mewtwo put his right hand over Mew's chest, pressing him into the ground.

"Let go or we'll both suffocate!" Mewtwo said.

"Meww."

Mewtwo grimaced, trying hard to ignore Mew's kicking and scratching on his arm. "Please! I don't want to do this!"

Mew shook his head and glared at him while squeezing Mewtwo's neck tighter. He knew Mewtwo would be naive enough to free him first, so he considered that he already won.

A voice familiar to Mewtwo said, "Stop!"

Mewtwo and Mew looked to the right to see Meowth, who ran toward them with his hands held high. Mewtwo allowed Mew some breathing room while Mew loosened his tail.

"Stop beating the crap out of each other, you twerps!" Meowth said.

Charizard hovered above, growling.

Meowth swallowed audibly before taking a deep breath, still holding his hands up. "Nobody has to go. This world's big enough for all four of ya!"

Charizard made some nasty growls. Mewtwo freed Mew from under his palm and was freed in return from Mew's tail.

"It don't matter that Mewtwo and Charles weren't born from a mother and father like me, you, and Mew were," Meowth said.

"Yeah!" Yan joined in, followed by Nutcracker. "We, their friends, want them to stay."

The crobat from Nurse Joy's lap flew to the battlefield and landed in front of Mewtwo, protecting him. From a poké ball she had in her pink purse, another pokémon came out as a red light and materialized in front of Mewtwo. It was a three-headed houndoom.

"What? Hellhound? Crobat?" Mewtwo said.

Charles dragged himself over the ground and dropped next to his trainer, still exhausted from the fight.

Omy finally managed to slip away from the professor's arms and ended up in the arena, going to the left of Mewtwo.

Kohaku stumbled onto the battlefield, then ran toward the crowd that had gathered there. He turned to look at Mew while blocking the sides with his arms. "I may be a big fan of yours, Mew, but Mewtwo's my friend. I'll never let you harm him!"

Quirinus came down as well, accompanied by his latias and latios. He stared at Mew and Charizard. "If you want to kill Mewtwo and Charles, you'll have to get through us first." Smirking, he added, "I might even try to catch you."

Sabrina calmly joined the support group on the battlefield. "Just try to harm my student again. I dare you."

Blaine sent out his magmar and rhydon.

Mew and Charizard looked around, wondering if they should retreat since they were greatly outnumbered.

"Molt!" a hoarse voice cried out.

Everyone turned around to see who it was. They saw a birdlike pokémon with fiery wings, tail, and crest. Its body was bright yellow with dark orange legs and long beak. It landed on top of the metal bowl.

"It's the legendary pokémon Moltres!" Kohaku said.

"People usually report sightings of Moltres in this area around tournament times," Quirinus said. "The battling is rumored to be what attracts it here."

Mew and Charizard looked at the legendary creature, wondering what it wanted.

The fiery pokémon spread its wings and waved them while staying perched on the bowl. "Mooooolt! Tres molt moolt molt mol! Moltres mool molt mooolt tresmol molt!"

Meowth provided translation. "It's saying that its flame sensed Mewtwo's competitive spirit. Moltres considers Mewtwo worthy of a place in this world too."

Mew looked at Mewtwo while squinting. Then he looked at Charizard and said, "Mew!" He flew away, and Charizard followed, disappearing in the horizon together.

Moltress took one last look at the crowd below, then spread its wings, shouting, "Moooolt!" as it created a new flame in the metal bowl. The legendary pokémon took off and flew away, leaving sparks of fire trailing behind.

"Well, not many people stuck around for the tournament ending celebration," Yan said, looking at the mostly empty bleachers. The only people left other than the ones near Mewtwo were Yan's parents, the three nurses, Blaine, Oak, Ash, Jessie, James, and a short old man dressed in red, with a blue cap, bushy long hair, and long beard fused with a mustache.

Quirinus brought out a flat, rectangular device that had a screen on one side and a camera on the other. "Well, I'll take a photo then. Mewtwo? Can you summon your entire team?"

"Sure thing!" Mewtwo said. "Hey! All my pokémon, come out! We're taking a group photo!"

Vixie, Buzz, Eggs, and Golduck came out from the backpack and, in spite of being tired, joined Mewtwo. Charles got up and went next to him too, moving Vixie and Buzz a bit further to the right. Eggs and Golduck stood to Mewtwo's left. Omy hopped into Mewtwo's embrace.

Quirinus was about to push the snapshot button. "Ready? Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" Mewtwo said while he and his pokémon smiled in any way they could.

Their photo was taken, frozen in time to remind Mewtwo of this long, eventful day.

* * *

Almost four years had passed since the day Mewtwo became the Indigo League Champion. Pallet Town had developed over the years, gaining a few more houses and its own gym that had a symbol made of three gold-framed circles of different colors above its entrance. The green and blue ones were side by side at the bottom of the symbol, and the red one was at the top.

A teenage boy with short, brown hair, blue cap, black backpack, yellow shirt, and black shorts chased after his raticate. "Slow down, pal! I know you're eager to battle, but ya need to learn to conserve your energy!"

When the raticate reached the door of the gym, it scratched at it several times before it opened up.

"Hello?" The one opening the door was Mewtwo. He looked slightly older, and his telepathic voice was deeper. "Oh, Nutcracker! Where's your–"

"I'm here!" the teenager said as he arrived next to his raticate.

"Yan! Nice to see you again!" Mewtwo said. "How's the badge collecting going?"

Yan grinned. "I got seven of 'em! I'm here to earn my eighth."

"Then let's go battle. I hope you are prepared, because I have mastered training the pokémon of fire, water, and grass."

Yan smacked his own chest with his right fist. "My team and I are ready for whatever you throw at us!"

* * *

After taking their positions at the opposite sides of the arena, the trainers were about to choose their pokémon.

"Ya know who I'm starting with," Yan said. "It's gonna be just like old times. Go, Nutcracker!"

His raticate stepped onto the battlefield. "Rrrrat!"

"Just like old times," Mewtwo said, smiling. He looked at a glass case that was on a wooden table next to his Indigo League golden trophy. Telekinetically, he took a poké ball out of the case and aimed it at the battlefield. "I choose you, Charles!"

Hearing his trainer's call, Charles came out roaring, flying into battle.

 **THE END**


End file.
